Jamie Redknapp fires furious rant at Man Utd star for ‘Soccer Aid’ display vs Bournemouth | Football | Sport
The 32-year-old has often been criticised for his displays this term, raising questions about whether he has been fully fit at any stage between multiple lay-offs.
He has suffered a startling decline after an impressive maiden year at Old Trafford and is expected to depart as part of sweeping changes during Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first summer transfer window as co-owner.
Ten Hag has retained his faith in Casemiro, though, regularly starting him in his midfield when he’s been available. But he produced his latest poor showing against Bournemouth, sparking further frustration among fans.
And after full-time, Redknapp didn’t let Casemiro’s contribution to another dismal day out go without scathing criticism, claiming he looked like he was playing in Soccer Aid, an annual charity match for UNICEF.
“I watch Casemiro at times today… I have watched him for many years. He’s one of my favourite defensive midfielders in world football. I’ve loved watching him play,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
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“But right now, I watch him, and it looks like he’s in Soccer Aid. It looks like he’s playing at such a pace that the game is a bit of fun and there are celebrities coming on the pitch. No! This is the Premier League.
“You’ve got so much experience. And that isn’t the case of anything else apart from running. And I think to myself, Rodri… What would Rodri do in that situation?
“He would’ve been flying out there to help his teammates, and that’s what you should be doing. I don’t know why [he isn’t]. And this is my point with Kobbie Mainoo.
“Now, he’s got everything, the world at his feet, but you need great role models to get to the top. You need people who you’re going to look up to and aspire to be like.
“And at the moment, he [Casemiro] isn’t setting the right examples to the young players around him. As I say, I’m a massive fan, but that isn’t good enough because if he sprinted, he would’ve stopped that.”
Sky Sports presenter Dave Jones countered Redknapp’s claims, jokingly adding that the Soccer Aid comparison was “harsh” and that he had seen the retired midfielder play in the annual match.
Redknapp replied: “Yeah, and I was useless! I scored a couple of goals, but I couldn’t run! I couldn’t think of a better analogy!”
Soccer Aid has consistently raised millions of pounds for UNICEF since its formation, and another star-studded line-up will take to the field on June 9 at Stamford Bridge. Casemiro likely won’t be involved, though.
