Rio Ferdinand has slammed Jamie Carragher’s criticism of Casemiro, labelling it as ‘highly disrespectful’.
The Brazilian star was deemed to be at fault for two of the goals conceded by Manchester United in their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
After attracting criticism last season, Casemiro looked much more like his elite self in Man United’s opening two Premier League matches, but received plenty of stick for his part in the defeat to Arne Slot’s side.
After a lacklustre display by Casemiro during a defeat to Crystal Palace, Carragher urged the 32-year-old to walk away from elite level football, uttering the phrase, ‘leave the football before the football leaves you.’
The quote from Carragher has done the rounds on social media and experienced a spike after Sunday’s defeat for Man United – and the comment hasn’t sat well with Red Devils legend Ferdinand.
Speaking on his podcast, Ferdinand said: “I heard Jamie say ‘leave the football before the football leaves you’ – I just think that’s highly disrespectful.
“I think it’s really disrespectful, especially given what my man’s won – they don’t have a trophy cabinet big enough for what he’s won.
“There’s more to it than the fact he’s made a couple of mistakes.
“I think if you look at the two games before this season, he’s arguably been Man United’s best player.
“It’s easier to say that he’s gone, he’s finished. He’s almost 32, but when I look at him, I just feel that he’s being asked to do a lot of things like play 30-yard balls and dictate the pace of the game etc.
“These are things that Man United would never have recruited him for because he’d never been asked to do this at Real Madrid.
“He was clearing up, like security in front – slide-tackling, covering all the gaps and then giving it to other people to play football.
“But now he’s being asked to do things that he’s never done before, so he’s going to make mistakes because it’s not his natural game.”
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Following Carragher’s comments on Sky Sports, Gary Neville added: “That feels a big moment [Casemiro’s replacement].
“I don’t know how that conversation has gone at half time when Ten Hag has hooked Casemiro in front of all his teammates.
“I don’t think he would have brought him off for the two mistakes.
“I think it was what happened after that and the reaction of the crowd, I feel for him.”
Casemiro is one of the most decorated midfielders in world football at the moment having won three LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues during his time with Real Madrid.
He’s also won the Copa America with Brazil and the Carabao Cup and FA Cup with Man United.
Since joining the Red Devils for £70million, Casemiro has made 87 appearances, scoring 12 goals and offering nine assists.
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