Graeme Souness REFUSES to apologise for slamming Casemiro

Carlo Garganese

• 5 Mar 2023 17:20 GMT
• 3 min read

Graeme Souness has refused to apologise for his comments at the start of the season in which he slammed Man Utd’s signing of Casemiro.

Casemiro was arguably Man Utd’s signature move of last summer, as they splashed out over €70 million for the legendary midfielder from Real Madrid.

Some critics questioned paying such a large sum of money for a player who was already 30.

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One of these was former Liverpool midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit Souness, who stated that he was not a big fan of the player.

What did Souness say when Casemiro signed?

“He was playing with great players. He’s not a great player. He has never been a great player.

“I see him as a steady Eddie who will help United be more solid in midfield.

“I don’t think he has got a great range of passing. I don’t think he is going to help other people play.

“I think he was lucky to be in that Real Madrid team. I never look forward to watching Casemiro. [Karim] Benzema, definitely. The other midfield players, definitely.

“I never thought, ‘I’m really excited to watch Casemrio play today’.”

“He is 30 years old and it’s £70m. Too much money. It is Manchester United all over again.

“Manchester United will pay a premium because it is Manchester United and the Premier League and people know it’s awash with money. But I don’t see him making them any better when they have the ball.”

Casemiro has since gone on to prove all the doubters wrong in a brilliant first season at Man Utd.

He has scored five goals and provided five assists this season, while in the 13 Premier League games he has started, Man Utd have lost only one.

Last week he scored the opener as Man Utd won 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final over Newcastle to claim their first trophy in six years.

Souness refuses to apologise

But when asked by Gary Neville ahead of Man Utd’s match with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday if he would apologise for his comments, Souness refused.

“No (I won’t apologise), I said he was a steady Eddie. In that position, I’d be happy to be described as a steady Eddie,” Souness said.

“I would describe Casemiro as a foundation piece. You can build your team on that. I like him, there’s nothing to dislike about him.

“Is he better than I thought he would be? No, I tell you what he’s doing better than I thought was getting goals, which is not really his strongest point.”