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FootballWayne Rooney Comes up With Bold Criticism of Man United for Signing Casemiro
- Manchester United’s all-time goalscorer Wayne Rooney is not entirely convinced by the signing of Casemiro
- Rooney believes the club could have gone for a much younger defensive midfielder
- 30-year old Casemiro leaves Real Madrid with two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues
Wayne Rooney has come out with rare criticism of Manchester United’s signing of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro.
The former Manchester United and Everton man strongly believes Casemiro might be a bit too old for Manchester United to move forward in terms of progression.
United agreed on a fee of £60million with Real Madrid for the 30-year old, and the deal is subject to add-ons.
Casemiro is set to sign a four-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option to extend for a further year.
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While many fans and pundits have hailed the transfer as exactly what United need in midfield, Rooney, currently a manager at MLS side DC United, believes his side could have taken another route.
"This goes back to the need to look to the future," Rooney told The Times.
"Ideally, they should be signing players in their early to mid-twenties, and Casemiro is similar to Christian Eriksen — someone who has been a good player, but are they going to help the club move forward? Frenkie de Jong, Ten Hag’s principal midfield target, would be a better fit.
"The Casemiro deal seems to have come from nowhere, and looks a reactive signing — I’d be surprised if he was a player identified as a priority to bring in when ten Hag arrived. It looks like, having been unable to sign de Jong, United just reacted to Casemiro being available."
Rio Ferdinand’s take
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FootballEarlier, Sports Brief also reported of Rio Ferdinand’s take on the Casemiro signing.
Ferdinand also had some concerns, but his primary argument was that his former club might have overpaid to acquire the Brazilian’s services.