Caicedo, Rice examples of thinking ahead – Carragher

Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United will regret not recruiting a more long-term solution at their defensive midfield.

Man United signed Casemiro from Real Madrid last summer for an initial £60m fee.

But Carragher feels the Red Devils’ hasty purchase of the veteran midfielder following an unsuccessful attempt to bring Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford could now hurt them in a world where newer and younger defensive midfielders like Moses Caicedo and Declan Rice are on the market.

“Caicedo and Rice are examples of thinking ahead,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.

“Going big now to save cash for the next six or seven years in which they will assume their role.

“I never believed Casemiro would be value for money. Not because there is any doubt that he has been a world-class player.

“But because he is at a stage of his career when he cannot not fully repay United’s massive fee.”

“He was a panic buy when he joined a year ago,” he added. “An ageing, stellar name signed for big money and on a massive salary to appease increasingly disgruntled fans, despite the fact he will need replacing with a similarly massive outlay two years on.”

Meanwhile, Man United have been linked with a move to sign Fiorentina’s defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.