Man Utd’s Bruno Fernandes Responds to Roy Keane and Gary Neville’s Criticism of Casemiro After Liverpool Defeat
Bruno Fernandes has stood up for his Manchester United teammate Casemiro after the Brazilian midfielder was criticized by club legends Roy Keane and Gary Neville in the wake of United’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.
The match, which saw United’s defense unravel, was marked by two significant errors from Casemiro, which led to Liverpool’s first-half goals and eventually cost United the game.
Casemiro’s first misstep came when he misplaced a pass, gifting possession to Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, who swiftly capitalized to open the scoring. Shortly after, Casemiro was dispossessed while attempting to dribble out of United’s half, with Diaz doubling Liverpool’s lead before halftime.
This led to manager Erik ten Hag substituting Casemiro at the break, replacing him with Toby Collier in an attempt to stabilize the team, though it proved insufficient as Mohamed Salah added a third for Liverpool in the second half.
Fernandes and Ten Hag Rally Behind Casemiro Following Criticism From Keane and Neville in Liverpool Defeat
Roy Keane, known for his no-nonsense approach both on and off the pitch, did not hold back in his post-match analysis, criticizing Casemiro’s decision-making.
“It’s about making the right decisions on the ball, and Casemiro didn’t do that today,” Keane remarked. Gary Neville echoed this sentiment, labeling the midfielder’s mistakes as “terrible” and pointing to them as the key factors in United’s defeat.
Despite the harsh critiques, United captain Bruno Fernandes was quick to defend his teammate. Speaking after the match, Fernandes emphasized that the blame for the defeat should not rest solely on Casemiro’s shoulders.
“The goals are always self-inflicted,” Fernandes explained. “You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at everyone, that won’t help us now. When you concede a goal you can’t just point at one mistake. What’s the point in saying Casemiro lost the ball or Kobbie [Mainoo] lost the ball? They lost the ball because they wanted to be brave. It’s part of football. Don’t make it individual.”
Fernandes further highlighted Casemiro’s experience, suggesting that the veteran knows well how to handle such situations. “Casemiro is more experienced than me. I don’t need to tell him anything, he knows what football is about. He’s played for the two best clubs in the world,” Fernandes added.
United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, also supported Casemiro, expressing confidence that the midfielder would bounce back from his difficult outing. “He will go on, we will go on. He’s a great player. We will continue this season to improve the team and the players,” Ten Hag asserted, showing faith in Casemiro’s ability to return to form.
Man Utd’s Bruno Fernandes Responds to Roy Keane and Gary Neville’s Criticism of Casemiro After Liverpool Defeat