The Brazilian Casemiro, one of Manchester United’s top performers last season under Erik ten Hag, has been under fire since the Premier League’s return.
Stuart Pearce thinks Casemiro has “jacked it in” at Manchester United after Erik ten Hag’s team suffered their third straight loss.
The heat on Ten Hag increased after United’s Champions League debut loss to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, 4-3. The Red Devils’ manager needs to get outcomes back on track quickly after losing in the Premier League to Tottenham, Arsenal, and Brighton as well.
After United’s 3-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford last Saturday, it is rumoured that Bruno Fernandes, the club captain, and Casemiro held an investigation in the team’s locker room. Both players discussed the necessity to restore team cohesion and display fortitude when under pressure.
However, Pearce has accused Casemiro of forgetting that never-say-die mentality after Casemiro scored two late goals on Wednesday. Casemiro and his teammate Marcus Rashford, according to the English legend, were only “half running back” against Bayern.
Pearce said on talkSPORT that “Man Utd are under the cosh because too many of their players have jacked it in.” “Rashford half running back and Casemiro half running back… now is the time to yell at the back line – not just the back line but the entire team,” the coach said.
“It is disturbing that too many athletes have given up the ghost. United are fortunate that Bayern has not been more ruthless because they are so far behind.
Five-time Champions League champion Casemiro, who cost United £70 million in August 2022, excelled in his debut campaign. He outplayed Newcastle to win the Carabao Cup final, earning the title of player of the game.
However, Casemiro has had a difficult season and has come under fire from a number of analysts, notably Jamie Carragher. Carragher said of Casemiro, “I never believed he would be value for money,” in The Telegraph. “Not because there is any question that he has been a player of the highest calibre.
However, he is at a point in his career where he is unable to fully recoup United’s enormous investment. He was a last-minute acquisition who cost a fortune and took a sizable salary to placate fans who were growing more and more irate.
Carragher claims Casemiro’s “peak years” are “behind him”. He also believes “Madrid do not allow players of that ilk leave unless they feel they have had the best from them”.
At the beginning of this month, Ten Hag supported Casemiro’s early-season performance. “When we play with Casemiro, (Christian) Eriksen, and Bruno, we are very successful,” he said to Sky Sports. “At the beginning of the season, it was definitely a team problem.”
