Manchester United icon Gary Pallister has jumped to the defence of Casemiro after he was savaged by Jamie Carragher following Monday’s defeat to Crystal Palace. The Red Devils were torn apart at Selhurst Park as they suffered a new low point in their season, piling even more pressure on the shoulders of under-fire boss Erik ten Hag.
Casemiro had one of his worst games for United in recent memory and was heavily criticised for his display after the final whistle. He let Michael Olise dribble past him with ease for Palace’s first goal before gifting him another by needlessly giving the ball away near his own corner flag.
Sky Sports pundit Carragher pulled no punches in his assessment of Casemiro’s performance, telling the Brazilian to ‘pack it in’ at the highest level and seek a move to Saudi Arabia or the MLS. Pallister has since accused Carragher of being too harsh, given that Casemiro was forced to play as a makeshift centre-back.
“Jamie Carragher’s comments on Casemiro were an emotional response to what he had just seen,” Pallister told BetVictor. “The back four against Palace was one that hadn’t played together and they weren’t used to each other.
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“It is easy to point the finger at Casemiro after he dived in for the first goal and lost the ball on the touchline for the fourth goal. He was always going to be targeted after that. He’s playing out of position, so I wouldn’t be going for the jugular on him like Jamie Carragher did.”
Pallister insisted that Casemiro is still capable of performing at the very top level in spite of his poor showings for United this season, adding: “He’s a makeshift centre-back but he’s also a world-class midfielder. We saw his quality then and I don’t think anybody will have been telling him to ‘pack it in’ then.
“He doesn’t have the legs that maybe he used to, but he’s never really had pace. He’s a very clever footballer who needs legs around him and he is still capable of playing that quarterback role for United. I think Jamie Carragher was harsh on Casemiro and it was an emotional response to an embarrassing defeat for United.”
Casemiro remains tied down to United until 2026, having signed a four-year deal upon his arrival at Old Trafford two seasons ago. However, it remains to be seen if he will move on in the summer, with the 32-year-old clearly on the decline as he nears the latter stages of his career.
