Manchester United’s significant investment in Casemiro may be on the verge of souring after just one season at Old Trafford. The Brazilian midfielder was substituted during the match against Brentford by Erik ten Hag, who subsequently criticized his performance in the post-match press conference.
Casemiro was partially responsible for Brentford’s opening goal, committing a clumsy error that allowed Mathias Jensen to score past Andre Onana. The goalkeeper also had a subpar performance, leaving both players susceptible to post-match scrutiny.
Despite Scott McTominay coming off the bench to score two goals and secure a thrilling comeback for the Red Devils, Ten Hag expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “When you concede a goal so easily, you can’t do that at our level; we need to perform better. More players need to assume greater responsibility and be accountable; otherwise, it’s challenging to win games. Opponents will take advantage of it.”
Casemiro was decisively substituted by Ten Hag at halftime, with United trailing 1-0. When questioned about the rationale behind the substitution, the United manager straightforwardly stated that he wanted to “see more football.”
A subpar performance against Brentford is the latest piece of evidence supporting the notion that Casemiro is not performing at the level he was last season. Despite his consistent performance immediately after his transfer from Real Madrid, the Brazilian international’s form has dipped, with his teammates naming him Player of the Month twice in the 2022/23 season.