Manchester United’s 3-0 home loss to Liverpool was particularly painful for Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who was substituted at half-time and then criticised by pundits.
There were even claims he left Old Trafford at the break, but United boss Erik ten Hag refuted this.
Now Casemiro’s wife has come to her husband’s defence, reminding people of the many trophies he has won throughout his illustrious career.
Anna Mariana posted a picture of his collection of silverware on Instagram, with the Brazilian having won the Champions League five times as well as La Liga three times with Real Madrid and, most recently, the FA Cup with Manchester United.
She then posted a picture of the 32-year-old celebrating with team-mates writing: “Always strong Casemiro, the biggest (flaming heart emoji).”
Casemiro made two mistakes in the first 45 minutes in Sunday’s game at Old Trafford, from which Liverpool ultimately scored in their comfortable victory.
Casemiro was replaced at the break by 20-year-old Toby Collyer, who made his United debut.
Explaining his decision, Ten Hag said: “We had to take risks because we want to bounce back, then you need players in midfield to cover ground, therefore we put Toby Collyer on the pitch.
“I think that in football everyone has to take responsibility. I’m sure he is a great character and he won everything in his career that you can imagine. I am sure he will keep contributing to our team and Casemiro is always winning so he will be there.”
It seems a long time since Casemiro texted his agent following Manchester United’s four-goal hammering at Brentford in August 2022 to say he would ‘fix’ the problems at Old Trafford and he joined in a deal worth £70m.
As it turned out, the Brazilian was yet another short-term fix for a fundamental problem. After a decent first season, his form collapsed.
By the end of last term, Casemiro had lost his place.
In his prime, Casemiro was one of the most effective defensive midfield players of his generation. As his wife pointed out on social media, he has won every honour in the game.
But top-level football is a brutal business. In the Premier League, reputations count for nothing.
And, sadly for United, in the biggest of games, Casemiro has turned into a liability.
With domestic football taking a pause for the international break, Casemiro will have two weeks before he can put matters right on the pitch, having been dropped again from the Brazil squad.
Credit: bbc.com
