Manchester United were completely outclassed by Crystal Palace 0-4 in their Premier League game at Selhurst Park on Monday. Injuries to Harry Maguire and skipper Bruno Fernandes meant manager Erik ten Hag was forced to play Casemiro alongside Jonny Evans, the 14th different centre-back partnership this season....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
And the experienced Brazilian let the team down big time, getting dribbled past eight times as he constantly tried to slide into challenges while abandoning his post.
While he is not a natural centre-back, the 32-year-old was certainly expected to use his years of knowledge to try and hold the fort but instead turned out to be the biggest villain on the night.
Casemiro’s downfall
This season has been a clear reminder that the former Real Madrid superstar is well past his peak with injuries starting to catch up with the midfield enforcer.
Ten Hag’s flawed tactics have also played a role in the sharp decline with the midfielder simply having too much to do in this new high-transition system with the opposition players overwhelming him at times.
INEOS were disappointed that the club agreed such a short-term fix while spending such an exorbitant amount and are open to moving Casemiro on in the summer.
The former Sao Paulo star is attracting interest from Turkey and Italy but a move to Saudi Arabia seems the most likely with The Peoples Person relaying that three clubs are in the fray.
CaughtOffside have claimed Al Nassr, who had been offered Casemiro in January, are preparing a summer bid worth €40 million with Cristiano Ronaldo’s side ready to offer a three-year contract to the Brazil star.
“Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Al Nassr have already held talks with the representatives of Casemiro, who is open to leaving Man Utd for the right offer.
Al Nassr readying bid
“It’s also expected that Al Nassr are ready to try a bid of around €40m to the Red Devils for Casemiro, while they’d be prepared to offer the player a three-year contract.”
Ronaldo, since joining the Saudi team, has been trying to acquire both Casemiro and Raphael Varane and INEOS would do well to agree to a deal so as to begin preparations for a major team-building exercise in the summer.
If a sale is agreed, it would represent a €30 million loss on what the club initially agreed to pay the La Liga giants. Interestingly, the sale would be the biggest in terms of a transfer fee received by the Reds for a midfielder.
Joao Neves‘ name has been doing the rounds as a potential replacement but a lot will depend on the final budget. The club currently cannot afford to splurge big on one single position.
With funds tight, player sales are needed before they can focus on reinforcements with the current team badly in need of additions all over the park.
