Gary Lineker believes Manchester United have paid over the odds for Casemiro following his big-money move from Real Madrid.
United spent an initial £60million on Casemiro, 30, last month, with fans hoping he's the answer to their problems. Midfield is arguably United's weakest department as there are huge question marks over whether Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek are good enough for a so-called 'Big Six' Premier League side.
Lineker's comments come just days after he mocked Casemiro for saying he wanted to win the Premier League title with United. The Red Devils haven't won the competition since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in May 2013 and they finished sixth last season.
"It’s a strange one, spending £60m on a 30-year-old holding midfield player," Lineker tells Mirror Football on behalf of Cure Leukaemia. "But he is a very, very good midfield holding player and he is very successful. I kind of get it in the sense of a quick fix because he’s better in the position that they’ve got by a mile, so I get that.
"But have they paid ridiculous money? Yes. It’s an interesting one, he’s not going to go in there and create a million chances for everyone - that’s not his game alone. He’s a proven winner, he’s a rock, so you know what you’re getting even though he hasn’t played in our league and he’s a little bit different. He’ll adjust, it’ll just take time."
Casemiro won 18 trophies during his nine-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, including three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. He's also achieved success at international level, earning 63 senior caps for Brazil and winning the Copa America three years ago.
Do you agree with Gary Lineker? Let us know in the comments below!
Lineker adds: "Players are playing a little bit longer now - I don’t know what they’re doing - so that’ll be interesting. So, 30 years old is probably 28 of 10 years ago. They [Real Madrid] know what they’re doing. In [Eduardo] Camavinga, I think they’ve got a superstar, they ain’t daft, they had players prepared to take over from Casemiro.
"It might take them a little bit of time because they are young, [Aurelien] Tchouameni and Camavinga are young men but prestigious talents. They wouldn’t have let him [Caemiro] go unless they felt they were covered and they’re covered with kids who have a little bit more energy going forward than he would in a couple of years time."
Casemiro revealed his delight at joining United at his unveiling. "I am excited to develop at a big club like Manchester United," the Brazilian midfielder said. "Signing for Manchester United is a very important challenge for me - I feel like I am 18 years old.
Casemiro added: "I want to show Manchester United fans that I’m serious about them, I will work extremely hard. What am I looking for? New challenges, a new club, another country, another culture. I want to help Manchester United, I want to win new things... I want to win the Premier League with Manchester United."
Responding to Casemiro's comments, Lineker said: "He knows he’s joining United rather than [Premier League champions Manchester] City, right?"
Gary Lineker was speaking to promote Cure Leukaemia's 'Finish It!' campaign aimed at raising £10million to fight blood cancer through a new national children’s blood cancer trials network. You can show your support by buying a seat at Cure Leukaemia FC’s Virtual Stadium and becoming a CLFC season ticket holder here!
