Gary Neville DEFENDS under-fire Casemiro as he tells him to emulate Arsenal star who ‘can’t run’ and ‘was finished’
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville defended Casemiro after a barrage of criticism and insisted he could emulate Jorginho’s success at Arsenal.
The United midfielder has come under fire following Monday’s woeful performance at Crystal Palace where he played out of position at centre-back and was badly exposed during a 4-0 thumping.
The Brazil international received some horrible feedback with pundit Jamie Carragher even insisting he should leave the Red Devils and move to the MLS or Saudi Arabia in the summer.
The 32-year-old has also been criticised for his lack of pace since his £70million arrival from Real Madrid two years ago.
But Neville, 49, insists United can still work with Casemiro whom he expects to stay for next season.
The Sky Sports pundit believes the Brazilian can emulate Jorginho who also lacks pace and many thought he was “finished” after leaving Chelsea last year.
But the midfielder has since flourished at Arsenal next to Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
The Italy international has also been helped by a stunning centre-back partnership consisted of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Neville said in the latest episode of Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet: “Casemiro is going to be here next season, unless they can get somebody from Saudi Arabia to pay huge money.
“He’s going to be at Manchester United, so they’ve got to work with him, haven’t they?
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“Jorginho is a good example. Jorginho can’t run – he’s better on the ball, but he can’t run and he was finished at Chelsea.
“He goes to Arsenal, and he looks a beautiful player in that Arsenal midfield with Declan Rice on one side and Odegaard on the other, with that centre-back partnership behind him. So, you can play in that position and not run.”
Casemiro and Jorginho will lock horns on Sunday in a crunch Premier League clash between United and Arsenal at Old Trafford.