- Joined Utd for £70m in the summer
- Ferdinand baffled by lack of minutes
- In line for rare start in Europa League
WHAT HAPPENED? Casemiro arrived at Old Trafford from Real Madrid in a £70 million ($80m) deal during the summer transfer window, bringing to an end his illustrious nine-year spell at Santiago Bernabeu. The five-time Champions League winner has since been unable to secure a regular spot in Erik ten Hag's starting XI, much to the confusion of former United defender Ferdinand, who feels he is being harshly treated.
WHAT THEY SAID: "The geezer (Casemiro) hasn't been given a chance. He hasn't been given a fair crack of the whip. He's come in and played in a Europa League game against some dead team," Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel FIVE. ''He hasn't been given a start in the side when he's fit and ready, he's regressed in terms of fitness, so he's worse off than when he came. He must be sitting there and thinking; 'Wow, I'm happy to be here at Manchester United, but I'm feeling a little bit disrespected here, given what I've done'. I'd be surprised if he's not feeling like that."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Casemiro has only seen 82 minutes of Premier League action for United to date, with his latest cameo from the bench coming in a 6-3 derby defeat to Manchester City. The Brazilian is being kept out of the team by Scott McTominay, but is also competing for minutes alongside his compatriot Fred and Christian Eriksen.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED? Casemiro could be in line for a rare start when United resume their 2022-23 Europa League campaign with a trip to Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night.