Chris Sutton has been speaking about Manchester United’s midfield problems and in particular, the waning impact of Casemiro.
United paid £70m to sign Casemiro last year and he had a good season last term, surprising many with the impact he had in the middle of the park.
However, this season has been different. Injuries have held him back and in games he has played, he’s looked a shadow of what we saw last year.
Meanwhile, the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City have top midfielders in their ranks and Chris Sutton believes this is where United are lacking.
Chris Sutton says Declan Rice is so much better than Casemiro
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Sutton had the following take on the Manchester United midfielder.
“Casemiro performed well last campaign. Better than I expected of the Brazilian in his 30s. But he is now injured and when he does feature, he doesn’t look like he’s got the legs to keep up with the demand of this level,” Sutton says.
“Not like Rice, or Rodri, or the other elite midfield men out there who can control proceedings. The decision to let Casemiro sign a long-term deal is looking more and more foolish because he is not the answer to the lack of protection being provided by the midfield.”
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Time is catching up on an otherwise world class player
It always seems to happen, this. Players seem to be able to keep going to a certain point and then suddenly they slow down a touch and it all looks disastrous.
Casemiro was a fine signing for United last term and looked to have changed things for the better in their midfield. However, they knew they were overpaying at the time and it now looks like it’s biting them a bit.
The Brazilian is simply getting caught up by father time and the injuries don’t help either the older you get.
Casemiro is still only 31 and can probably offer United a lot if he can get back fit. But right now, as Sutton says, he looks a million miles off the likes of Rice and Rodri.
And in the end, that’s why City and Arsenal will have success, and United won’t.