Gary Neville tears into Man Utd over big-money signing, telling Ten Hag: ‘It should NEVER have gone through’

Gary Neville has fuelled a new debate at Manchester United over the capture of Casemiro, by performing a major U-turn on his previous comments and now admitting the enormous transfer deal should never have gone through.

The 75-times capped Brazil midfielder arrived in a £70m move from Real Madrid in summer 2022, penning a four-year deal at Old Trafford with the option of an extra year. Manchester United moved for Casemiro after long-term target Frenkie de Jong persistently rejected their approaches, while they also failed to negotiate personal terms with Adrien Rabiot.

However, Casemiro was only too happy to sign up, on a deal worth £200,000 per week, which if seen through its duration will cost United well in excess of £40m in wages alone.

Initially the money looked to be well spent, with Casemiro proving he was up for the challenge of leading the United revival under Erik ten Hag. And having helped the Red Devils end their six-year trophy drought in the Carabao Cup, the 31-year-old also helped lead the club to a top-three finish in the Premier League and also into the FA Cup final.

That led Neville to pouring lavish praise on the player, beaming over the qualities he brings to the United side.

Speaking prior to the FA Cup final back on June 3, Neville stated: “I couldn’t think of a player having as big an impact on his team singularly.

“And I look at Manchester United’s season. Obviously, they think they’re going to finish in the top four if they finish the job this week, they’ve won the Carabao Cup, and they’re in the FA Cup final.”

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Gary Neville seems to take sides with Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Neville added: “I genuinely don’t think they’d be anywhere near the top four or doing what they’re doing in those competitions if it wasn’t for Casemiro. The impact he’s had on that team, he makes them 20-30 per cent better.”

In conclusion, he saluted the five-times Champions League winner, adding: “That is an unbelievable [first] season, and he’s a big part of that. He brought experience into the dressing room, and he’s done a good job.”

However, Casemiro’s form has dropped off a cliff this season, with injuries playing a big part in the player only featuring in 12 games so far and not getting a game since their 3-0 home embarrassment to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on November 1.

As a result, speculation has risen that United could be ready to cash in on the ageing star, with TEAMtalk exclusively revealing that a big-money move to Saudi Arabia was a serious option for Casemiro.

Behind the scenes, incoming new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly criticised United for their big-money signings of of ageing stars, questioning the wisdom in spending big on players they will unlikely see a return on and given their better days are seemingly long behind them.

With Ratcliffe set to take all sporting control at Old Trafford once his 25% purchase of the club is ratified, the British business is expected to be given the licence to oversee all the club’s major incomings and outgoings.

And with the Red Devils also expected to bring in a new sporting director – and a Liverpool hero is now among the favourites for the job – the days of United signing the Casemiros and Raphael Varanes of this world would now appear to be over.

Instead, the club will target young, upcoming players – much like they did with Rasmus Hojlund – who can develop, grow and one day help United see a return for their investment.

Gary Neville tears into Man Utd over Casemiro signing 

On the back of that, Neville – who some might say might be trying to curry favour with Ratcliffe – has now performed a staggering U-turn and insists the signing of Casemiro should NEVER have happened.

“Coming in from an owner’s perspective, you employ a head of recruitment who you think is the best guy out there at spotting talent that will bring value to your club,” Neville explained on the Stick to Football podcast.

“You’ve got a sporting director equally, who will be thinking the same way – their loyalty is to the club and to make sure we win games.

“A manager’s job is purely to think about the immediate short term and getting results for himself. Casemiro is a perfect example of a short-term signing that is going to cost in the long term.

“That signing never should have gone through a good sporting director, a good owner, and a good head of recruitment. That signing should have never gone through. It should have been a veto.”

Since signing for United, Casemiro has appeared in 63 games, scoring 11 goals and adding seven assists. But the midfielder has also seen red three times in those 18 months, more than he has throughout the whole of his career.

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