After a series of friendly matches ahead of the new season, "Red Devils" fans are somewhat optimistic about the performance of Erik ten Hag's players. However, there are still many critical comments and disappointments directed at Casemiro - the captain who is rated as the worst performer.
In the 0-1 defeat to Rosenborg, the 32-year-old midfielder only completed 1 out of 6 long passes, won 5 out of 9 duels, and lost the ball 11 times. Goal described Casemiro as slow and almost unable to keep up with the situations on the field. The former Real Madrid player continuously lost the ball around the penalty area and was easily outmaneuvered by Tomas Nemcik.
“The results of friendly matches are not the most important thing, but this defeat leaves me unsatisfied. The whole team is not yet well-prepared to enter the new season. As a player, you need to ensure you have enough fitness and physicality to meet the standards of top-level football,” Erik ten Hag shared after the defeat to Rosenborg.
Casemiro continued to be the worst performer in the 2-0 victory over Rangers. The 32-year-old star continuously made faulty passes and was easily outmaneuvered by opponents in dangerous areas. Moreover, he squandered a good counter-attack opportunity for Man United by making a faulty pass towards Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Casemiro's performance did not improve much against Arsenal, receiving a score of 6.6 from Sofascore. The Man United captain touched the ball 26 times, completed 15 out of 20 passes (75% accuracy), won 2 out of 5 duels, and lost the ball 5 times.
Casemiro's decline in form has been a disappointment for Man United fans throughout the 2023-2024 season. His poor performance even led to his absence in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, as well as from Brazil's squad for the 2024 Copa America. It was thought that the break would help Casemiro come back stronger, but things remained the same.
According to The Athletic, the scenario of Casemiro leaving Man United would only happen if three criteria are met. First, M.U must be compensated for the remaining 2 years of his contract to avoid a £36 million loss. Second, Old Trafford wants to receive an attractive transfer fee to use the money to recruit Manuel Ugarte from PSG and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. Finally, any buying club must meet Casemiro's £350,000 per week salary, equivalent to over £18 million per year. This is considered the biggest hurdle, likely only acceptable to clubs in Saudi Arabia.
However, the door to joining the Saudi Pro League is gradually closing as interest from clubs in Casemiro has cooled. Additionally, heavy spending is no longer part of the development strategy for Asian clubs. According to statistics, the Saudi Pro League spent a total of £853 million in the summer of 2023 on deals for Neymar, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Aymeric Laporte, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves. Currently, this figure stands at £21 million in the summer 2024 transfer window.
Therefore, Casemiro is likely to stay at Man United for the early part of the 2024-2025 season. Until he finds a new destination, the Brazilian midfielder should get used to the bench.
