Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane have differing views on the Red Devils' latest bit of business after the club landed the signing of former Real Madrid star Casemiro.
Erik ten Hag has overseen the £60million acquisition of the Brazilian international and five-time Champions League winner but some have questioned whether there is actually much of a strategy from the United hierarchy when it comes to new recruits - Neville being one of those doubters.
Surprisingly, Keane was the more positive of the two when it came to Casemiro's arrival but also conceded the actual state of the United dressing room he will soon be introduced to is one that leaves plenty to be desired in terms of attitude.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of United's home clash against fierce rivals Liverpool, Keane said: They’re desperate, they’re desperate but I think he’s [Casemiro] a good player.
"You can look at the bigger picture and think it’s a lot of money, long contract, bit like Eriksen getting a three-year deal, agents out there must be delighted working with Man United. They’re desperate and you’ve got to pay over the odds, I suppose."
On the actual arrival of the former Los Blancos midfielder, Keane was notably optimistic: "He’s a good signing, they paid a lot of money for him.
"He’s 30 years of age, what’s he got a five-year contract? So if you’re a player and Manchester United are out there you know it’s going to be a great deal. It’s a start but they need more, the problem is any player coming to Man United now, as good as they are, they’re coming into a bad dressing room and a bad group of players."
Neville was not as sure on the switch, citing fears over Casemiro's age as a reason behind his concerns but his primary issue stemmed from the fact the Brazilian was not a reported transfer target for long before the move was confirmed.
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"That’s why sometimes now I don’t get as excited as I do about the signings that come in because I know they’re not apart of the strategy at the start of the summer," the United legend admitted.
"Every other club is very precise, you don’t see them bouncing around like a pinball for one player to another. It’s De Jong, Rabiot then it ends up being Casemiro on a phenomenal contract that’s going to cost the club £160m.
"I have to say he’ll do well for the club for a couple of years, Casemiro, but someone in two years time is going to pick up a player beyond their best years for £20m that they can’t shift. That might be Erik ten Hag, it might be a new manager, it might be new owners, so there is a large element of desperation with the signing because a five-year contract for a 30-year-old shouldn’t happen."
United know all too well how it feels to have an ageing midfielder on the books that they can't move on. The likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata all left this summer without recouping the club a penny in transfer fees due to simply waiting to the expiration of their contracts before leaving.
