Casemiro wasn't in Man Utd's plans, suggests Gary Neville
Karan Tejwani
- 10 Sept 2022 19:20 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has spoken about his former club’s transfer activity this summer and especially about the signing of midfielder Casemiro.
The Red Devils completed the signing of Casemiro following their 4-0 defeat against Brentford in a move that took less than a week to complete.
The former Real Madrid star made his debut against Southampton, but is yet to make a Premier League start for his new club, having played against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday.
Now, Neville has suggested that he wasn’t part of the initial strategy and the Manchester United slightly panicked when signing the midfielder.
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Casemiro wasn't in Man Utd strategy
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Neville pointed out the spending the Red Devils did in the window: “Manchester United wanted to spend about £130 million to £140 million, they ended up spending £230 million.
“Obviously we’ve seen it before with the Glazer family – loads of trouble, protests building, invest the money to try and appease the fans and basically panic-buy.”
Neville suggested Manchester United’s two biggest signings – that of Casemiro and Antony from Ajax – came at a moment where the club were desperate to bring players in.
United had started the season with two straight defeats and needed to pick up results, and having seen Ajax reject two bids for Antony, the Red Devils decided to spend big and made him the biggest transfer of the summer.
First appearance in red at Old Trafford for @Casemiro ✅🔴#MUFC || #MUNARS pic.twitter.com/r93LSi9Zjj
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 4, 2022
“The Casemiro and Antony bids came in two days before the Liverpool game, which was obviously a moment where they just needed to get players in.
“It wasn’t the strategy at the start of the summer to spend the money they’ve spent,” Neville concluded, as he pointed out the increased pressure on the owners.
Neville has been vocal in his criticism of the Glazer ownership of Manchester United in recent times, especially after the failed creation of the European Super League.
He has often pointed out various issues surrounding Manchester United beyond just the pitch, including the decaying of the stadium, lack of communication with the fans and obvious decline in standards.
