Ian Wright hits back at Jamie Carragher over ‘disrespectful’ criticism of Manchester United

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has hit back at Jamie Carragher, branding his remarks about Manchester United’s Casemiro “disrespectful” after the team’s heavy defeat at Crystal Palace.

The Brazilian midfielder, who was tasked with playing in defence, made a series of mistakes that contributed to United’s downfall as Palace scored four goals against the Reds. Despite an impressive previous season, Casemiro’s performances have been poor this year and have led to speculation that his career in Europe is coming to an end.

His high salary is also becoming a concern as his form declines to the point where he is no longer seen as an automatic choice for the starting lineup, especially with the rise of younger talents like Kobbie Mainoo. Carragher did not hold back Sky Sports, suggesting that Casemiro’s days at the top of football are numbered and advising him to consider a move to leagues such as MLS or Saudi Arabia after the end of the current season.

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He said: “Casemiro should know tonight, as an experienced player, that he should only have three games left in the top flight, the next two (Premier) league games and the (FA) Cup final, then he should think I have to go to MLS or the Saudis are very serious his agent, the team of people around him, they have to tell him: this has to stop.

He added: “I’m nowhere near the level of what that man has achieved, (winning) the Champions League, playing for Brazil and Real Madrid. But I always remember something when I retired and there was a saying that I always remember as a footballer: “Leave football before football leaves you”.

“Football has left him at this top level. He has to call it a day at this level of football and move on.”

Casemiro was part of a Real Madrid outfit that won five Champions League titles in less than a decade as he was part of an iconic midfield. However, he struggled to produce consistently, opting for a new challenge in the Premier League.

But Wright insists the United midfielder has every right to continue to operate at the top if he wants to. Instead, he criticized United for not having the players to help him as he enters the final stages of his career.

He said on the Wrighty’s House podcast: “I wanted to mention Casemiro quickly because he was one of the main talking points after that game. I saw Jamie Carragher mention him on the show about how great he’s been over the years and maybe I should stop now and go to the MLS or the Saudis, which I thought was pretty disrespectful if I’m honest.

Wright also stated: “Whatever people say about him, I don’t think he’s done. I don’t think it is.

“You can see we are talking about a world-class player who has played in a world-class team. A club of United’s stature should have players to help him.”