Rio Ferdinand has taken aim at rival pundit Jamie Carragher for his comments about Casemiro following Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Man United.
The Brazilian midfielder endured a horror half of football at Old Trafford and was directly at fault for two goals which resulted in his side going in at the break 2-0 down, and Erik ten Hag hooking him during the interval.
Mo Salah went on to make it 3-0 and continue Arne Slot's fine start at Liverpool, but as one journey is beginning, it looks like a few others could be ending.
There has been speculation surrounding Casemiro's United career following a poor season last year, and after Sunday's performance, Carragher was quick to point out his decline while working on Sky Sports.
The former Liverpool defender said that Casemiro should "leave the football before the football leaves you", implying that the midfielder no longer has the legs to perform at the top level.
Ex United captain Ferdinand, took particular exception to these comments, and tagged his rival pundit on Twitter, explaining why he thought Carragher went too far.
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“Leave the football before the football leaves you”@23_carra you’re out of order! #MUFC#CASEMIRO pic.twitter.com/ryz0f4gaym
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) September 2, 2024
'Leave the football before the football leaves you' - I just think that's highly disrespectful.
"I just think it's really disrespectful because especially given what my man's [Casemiro] won, there's more to it than he's just made a couple of mistakes.
"If you look at the two games before Liverpool he's been arguably Man United's best player. I think it's easier to say that he's gone, he's finished, he's too old," he added.
"I believe when I look at him, he's being asked to do a lot of things like play 30 yard balls, dictate the pace, these are things Man United would never have recruited him for.
"He was never asked to do this at Real Madrid. He was cleaning up, security in front, slide tackling, covering all the gaps and then giving it to other people to play football," said Ferdinand.
It isn't the first time that Ferdinand has had a pop at his old England teammate, as the two often locked horns whenever Cristiano Ronaldo was dominating headlines during his second stint as a Red Devil.
Of course Carragher thought that the Portugal captain was in the wrong, while Ferdinand came out in defence of the United player, and now it seems that the future of Casemiro is the new hot topic that these two will tussle over.
Of course Erik ten Hag had a much more measured response when he was asked to explain his decision to substitute the former Real Madrid star.
I met him after the game in the dressing room, so he didn’t leave the stadium at half-time.
"Why I subbed him was because we are 2-0 down against an opponent as Liverpool, with their qualities, they are very good.
"We had to take risks because we want to bounce back, then you need players in midfield to cover ground, therefore we put Toby Collyer on the pitch.
"I think that in football everyone has to take responsibility. I’m sure he is a great character and he won everything in his career that you can imagine.
"I am sure he will keep contributing to our team and Casemiro is always winning so he will be there."
There's no dressing up that this isn't the start to the season that United would have wanted but they will no doubt use the international break to reset, refocus and attack the rest campaign with hopes of reaching the top four, very much in their sights.
