Casemiro was an integral part of Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League five times and La Liga on three occasions. He was the defensive midfielder who did much of the unsung work. This allowed forwards such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale to work their magic to score the goals to win titles.
Real Madrid has often overlooked a defensive midfielder in the past. For example, Claude Makélélé was allowed to leave during the Galácticos era. This led to a star-studded roster that included the Brazilian Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane, to not live up to their hype.
Makélélé moved to the Premier League with Chelsea, and his position became synonymous with him. Casemiro also moved to English soccer's top flight with Manchester United. However, his stint has been underwhelming.
Why has it not worked out for Casemiro at Manchester United?
There are not many players who have improved since joining United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at the club. There have been marquee signings such as Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, and Alexis Sanchez, but all have failed at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has enjoyed some success at United, such as scoring in their EFL Cup final win against Newcastle United. He also scored a brace against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. However, the Red Devils did still lose that tie.
The midfielder has also been sent off three times in his United career, and was criticized for making two mistakes that led to Liverpool goals in another defeat last season. He only made 24 Premier League appearances in the last campaign as United finished 15th. Their season got worse when they lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Many United fans will not be sad to see the back of Casemiro, as their squad is in serious need of a rebuild.
Casemiro is now 33 and looks off the pace at the highest level. Therefore, a move to the Saudi Pro League could be his best option. According to Sport Jazirah (translated from Arabic), "The Al Nassr club is close to signing the Brazilian player Casemiro, the Manchester United midfielder, during the upcoming summer transfer period, and sources indicate that negotiations are at an advanced stage."
Casemiro signing could convince Cristiano Ronaldo to stay
Casemiro was a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo at both United and Real Madrid. Ronaldo's contract with Al Nassr expires at the end of this month. However, he is expected to renew and will be banking on his club to improve its roster.
Al Nassr already has the likes of Sadio Mané, Jhon Duran, Marcelo Brozović, and Aymeric Laporte on their roster alongside Ronaldo. However, Ronaldo has only won the Arab Club Champions Cup with the side. Stefano Pioli's team finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season behind the winners Al Ittihad and Al Hilal, who are competing at the Club World Cup.
Ronaldo's side will need to improve if they are to win the Saudi Pro League. The legendary Portuguese forward has done a lot for soccer in Saudi Arabia. He has raised the profile of their division, and many top European players have followed him to the country. However, without winning the Saudi Pro League, the Ronaldo project would be seen as a failure on the pitch.
Casemiro may not be able to cut it in the Premier League anymore. Therefore, the slower pace of the Saudi Pro League could be his level right now. He will, of course, be generously rewarded for his services to Al Nassr, but also, his former teammate, Ronaldo, needs him to be the anchor of their team.