The Brazil legend says Casemiro made a mistake by signing for Manchester United

Brazil legend Rivaldo believes Casemiro made a mistake by swapping Real Madrid for Manchester United, feeling his compatriot is to blame for the Red Devils’ injury nightmares this season.

Casemiro had an impressive first season in England last time out, but has fallen sharply in the current campaign.

His own injuries haven’t helped, nor have fitness issues for others, as the 32-year-old has been asked to fill in at centre-back, where he’s clearly not as comfortable as his usual centre-half.

Rivaldo believes Casemiro should have stayed at Real Madrid instead of making the move to Old Trafford in 2022, where things may not have been so difficult for him.

Speaking to new website Betting.Betfair.com about the latest football news, Betfair Ambassador Rivaldo said: “Casimiro is a great person, a friend of mine and someone I played with when I was in Sao Paulo.

“He had an extraordinary career at Real Madrid. In my opinion, it was a wrong decision for him to leave Real Madrid for Manchester United.

“I think he was living a beautiful story at Real Madrid, but of course the financial side helped his decision.

“Manchester United are at a terrible time with so many injuries. and Casemiro is a midfielder, not a striker or a defender, so people criticize him for playing out of position, but in my opinion, he is not to blame at all, because Manchester United are struggling massively on their own.

Casemiro’s form has been so poor this season that Brazil head coach Dorival Júnior left him out of this summer’s Copa America squad.

Explaining his decision, Dorival said: “He deserves all the respect from all of us. I had a conversation with him in Manchester three months ago.

“I explained to him what I thought about his situation, his team’s situation and what we needed. It does not mean, because it is not coming right now, that it is or will be excluded, in any sense.

“He knows very well what I think about him and that’s the main thing. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will calmly contact Casemiro, naturally stating what I think could happen in the future, especially that he is a player who deserves consideration, affection, respect and that we continue to believe in a sportsman of this level. .’

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