Sir Jim Ratcliffe broke with recent tradition and made the right decision to let Casemiro leave, even though most supporters wanted him to stay.
Casemiro has been given an expensive band-aid for Manchester United (Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Disagreeing with Bryan Robson feels like a crime against football. Robson is a Manchester United legend, one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and a thoroughly polite man whose opinion deserves the utmost respect.
But the former United and England captain is wrong when it comes to his feelings towards Casemiro. Robson urged Michael Carrick not to allow the Brazilian to leave, declaring: “I encourage Casemiro to stay. He’s had a really good season this year. He’s a top player. He’s got a great football brain. He’s really good on the ball. He heads the ball well and when he gets into the tackles he really commits.”
“Unless you are an absolute top player and people understand what you are really good at, you cannot stay at Real Madrid for as many years as he did and win the Champions League.”
Casemiro has enjoyed a long break from United supporters since announcing his departure from Old Trafford in the summer.
He scored United’s first goal in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa after being serenaded with a plea for “one more year”. But what Robson & Co. are overlooking is the fact that Casemiro is not the future.
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He is 34 years old and costs United a small amount of money. And that’s exactly why co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has decided to sever ties with him.
When Ratcliffe and his INEOS group bought a stake in United, one of the first things he did was order an interval review of the team, including each player’s contract. And what caught my eye at Ratcliffe was the fact that Casemiro was earning close to £400,000 a week. Ratcliffe knew Casemiro was a world-class soccer player.
What he didn’t understand was why United chose to invest £70 million plus wages on a 30-year-old player who had had fitness problems at Madrid.
In other words, there was a reason why Real were prepared to let Casemiro go. He was spending too much money on them and was considered beyond his best. So Real’s luxury became United’s. Casemiro has fulfilled his purpose at United. He is a short term solution, not a long term solution.
Casemiro has had a revelation under manager Michael Carrick (Image: Oli SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Questioning the decision to let him go shows a lack of vision and foresight. Two issues have been plaguing the club lately.
For the first time, Ratcliffe made the right decision. United need fresh legs in midfield next season and the manager needs to sign someone who can build around the team.
He is someone who will continue to bring value to the team. United need to look forward, not backward.
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