Fabian Ruiz’s form leaves Man Utd ruing Casemiro purchase
Manchester United broke the bank in 2022 to sign Casemiro after his triumphant Champions League season at Real Madrid for £70 million. The Brazilian international’s arrival gave the fans widespread optimism given his successful career but his transfer could not have gone any further from the plan the Red Devils had for him.
He has been one of their biggest underperformers in the last couple of years, closely with Marcus Rashford, while being among the highest paid players at the club with a wage reportedly reaching up to £450,000. In the club’s offices, there is bound to be regret at signing a player for that high a sum, despite his age being closer to that of retirement than prime.
As such, United could be ruing the chance of not signing Fabian Ruiz instead as he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Napoli back in 2022. Having said that, the player’s form in recent months has dramatically risen with there even being comparisons with Zinedine Zidane following his crucial role for Spain at Euro 2024.
He responded by saying the following when compared to the French legend via Mirror:
“It’s a big deal to compare myself to Zidane. I always try to help the team by giving my best and repay the coach’s trust. It’s a huge pride to represent my country. It’s the greatest thing.”
Ruiz is earning just £150k weekly at PSG, one-third of what Casemiro is being paid, and could have arrived at Old Trafford for a fee which would have possibly been half of the former Real Madrid star.
It also goes to show how oblivious Manchester United have been to players who have not had superstar status and that their recruitment strategy needs a big improvement. Ruiz is also an extremely versatile player, more so than Casemiro, and has the offensive skill sets which the Brazilian is expected to bring in, perhaps unfairly.
The theory that Casemiro has suddenly dipped in form and ambition is absolutely ridiculous considering how important he was to Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles. It goes on to expose the tactical frailties in Erik ten Hag’s system when a player who has never been asked to conduct play is tasked with doing such a job, especially when he has to do so from the deeper and more vulnerable areas of the pitch.
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Manuel Ugarte’s integration into the team could alleviate some stress that Casemiro is facing at United or entirely cause him to lose his spot, but it is extremely undeserved for a midfielder of his calibre to receive the criticism which he has been subjected to.
