Graeme Souness says Manchester United had “their trousers taken” in two big transfer deals.
The Red Devils signed World Cup-winning defender Raphael Varane from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 for a fee of £41million. The Frenchman, despite being a four-time Champions League winner, was allowed to leave by Madrid due to his age (28) and ongoing injury problems.
United signed another ageing Real Madrid star, midfielder Casemiro, a year later in a staggering £70m deal. Neither of the two players have had the desired effect at United, with Varane spending large stretches on the sidelines and Casemiro’s lack of mobility catching up to him in his second season in England.
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Now pundit Souness, who played down the Brazilian’s arrival by calling him a “steady Eddie” 18 months ago, has taken aim at United’s transfer policy in recent seasons. He claimed he was vindicated in his comments before stating that the Red Devils had their “trousers taken” with regards to the fees they paid for two flop signings.
Speaking on William Hill’s Three Up Front podcast, the Liverpool legend said: “Yeah he [Casemiro] can point to the medals which he won but he was a bit-player in a very special team. I never saw him coming to United and being the difference. I saw him as ‘he’s okay, not a big player’.
“I think they’ve had their trousers taken with both Raphael Varane and him. If you’ve got something to offer Real Madrid don’t sell you.
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Amazon“Real Madrid sold Raphael Varane and Casemiro to Man United. They [United] paid a premium and I’m sure they’re on lots of money those two and it’s a football decision, that I feel, they got wrong again.”
Souness added: “He’s [Casemiro] been found out, not stitched up. If you’re a big player and you’ve got the chance to go United, you’re going to take it to make them better.”
Casemiro enjoyed his start to life in Manchester, scoring seven times in his first season from central midfield. But his sharp decline has seen him deliver disappointing performances against the likes of Liverpool and Crystal Palace since returning from a long injury earlier this season.
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