INEOS are actively looking to part ways with one Red. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Prior to their minority stake being ratified last February, Erik ten Hag had already been backed with a host of his desired signings – some of which have proven pretty substandard.
Of course, the first that springs to mind for any Manchester United fan is Antony, whom the club forked out a ludicrous £86 million for in Ten Hag’s maiden transfer window.
The Brazilian joined Lisandro Martinez in becoming one of two Ajax players to directly follow their former manager to Old Trafford, but have since endured contrasting careers since swapping the Eredivisie for England’s top flight.
Another acquisition deemed questionable at the time was Casemiro – not because of his suitability to the squad, but because the board forked out £70m in total to take the then-30-year-old off of Real Madrid’s hands while also awarding him a four-year contract – plus the option of a further year – on £350,000 per week.
Casemiro again faces an uncertain United future
Credit where it’s due, he did live up to expectations in his first season in red, with his tenacious showings often proving game-changing for the side as they adapted to the Dutch manager’s style of play.
Yet, as time went on, the ageing midfielder became less capable of meeting the Premier League’s demands. Last season, Casemiro was at fault on numerous occasions for United conceding or almost conceding a goal and frequently resorted to clumsy challenges and subsequent bookings to get through a game.
Now that he has fallen almost entirely out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Laurie Whitwell has revealed that INEOS chiefs are hoping to sanction his departure this year.
“There’s talk of Saudi again. I think so, yeah (it’s plausible),” the journalist disclosed on the Talk of the Devils podcast. “When they (INEOS) were coming in, Ratcliffe highlighted the Casemiro deal as one that he thought was wrong because of the age of Casemiro and the expense that it cost. He is one of if not the top earners at United.”
