Casemiro’s fall from legend to liability shows Manchester United what must come next

A high-profile signing from Real Madrid, Pete Hall details how the Brazilian midfielder has become a problem for Erik ten Hag, despite Sunday’s draw against rivals Liverpool, and offers Sir Jim Ratcliffe a valuable lesson for the transfer market moving forward

Manchester United’s Casemiro reacts at the final whistle against Liverpool (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford have not held back in letting senior Manchester United figures know where they have gone wrong in the past decade of decay at Old Trafford.

The failures the Ineos pair have really hammered home centred around United’s horrendous transfer record in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with one player in particular epitomising everything that is wrong about their approach to the market.

Casemiro had won it all at Real Madrid and was approaching the twilight of his career. Rather than try and unearth the next embryonic midfield starlet with their vast scouting resources, United spent big on a 30-year-old Brazilian and paid him top wages in the hope he could be the catalyst for change, despite issues over how to motivate a player with a medal collection he was always unlikely to add much to at Old Trafford.