Chris Sutton has dismissed claims Manchester United should perform a U-turn on Casemiro and insists he should be released to ‘move forward as a club’.
Casemiro announced in January that he would be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season, but the Brazilian’s recent form has led to calls for him to stay.
The 34-year-old has impressed all season but has been particularly eye-catching since Michael Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim, helping the Red Devils climb to third in the Premier League.
Ex-Manchester United captain Bryan Robson wants his former club to convince Casemiro to stay for another season but Sutton believes now is the right time to move on from the five-time Champions League winner.
‘I don’t really get the debate,’ ex-Celtic, Blackburn and Norwich striker Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘I think under [Ruben] Amorim he was really exposed. Under [Michael] Carrick his numbers and performance level has improved but so has the team’s.
‘I think this is a bit of sentimental guff more than anything. If Manchester United want to really move forward as a club, Casemiro isn’t the future for that.
Your football fix
Metro's Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week's biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
‘He’s been a great player but it comes to us all, he just doesn’t have the legs he once had.’
Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce also believes the time is right for Manchester United to move on from Casemiro.
‘They shouldn’t try to get Casemiro to stay,’ Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast. ‘He’s done tremendous in terms of how he’s performing at this moment in time.
‘It comes down to what they’d pay him. He’d be on one of the highest salaries at the club and his age is against him.
‘Is he playing so well because he’s out of contract? You can see that as a criticism, but Mohamed Salah did the same.
‘I had it at Bolton where players would be playing out of their skin, then they’d get a new contract and you’d think “what’s happened to him?”’
Casemiro remains a hugely popular figure in the Manchester United dressing room and is being advised to stay by fellow Brazilian Matheus Cunha.
‘I’m always asking him, “come on, stay at Manchester United!” Just one year with me, let’s go for a second year,’ he told TNT Sports Brasil.
‘We’re very close, he’s always helping and it’s incredibly rewarding to play with him here and with the national team.
‘l always learn from him and understand more and more how he won so many titles. He’s reached a stage where he can decide where to play, and I hope it is with us.’
Manchester United defender Leny Yoro added after Sunday’s win over Aston Villa: ‘Everyone wanted him to stay, he’s a player [who is] really important for us.
‘Even in the dressing room, every day, he has the experience that no one else has in the team. He won everything, so this helped us a lot in the games and even outside the pitch.’
Casemiro will hope to help Manchester United secure a top-four finish before his summer departure. Carrick’s side return to action on Friday night against Bournemouth.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
No comments:
Post a Comment