Manchester United might have ended up with one of the steals of the summer with the £60 million move to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.
The Br azilian has transformed Manchester United’s midfield. While the weekend loss was an obvious exception, it appears Casemiro might have picked up an injury mid-game.
The team who sold Casemiro might be regretting it. Real Madrid had hastened his departure by spending £80 million on Aurelien Tchouameni.
It seemed like a good, forward thinking move for Real Madrid, signing the most highly rated young defensive midfielder, and selling a player entering his 30s. But the transition has been anything but smooth.
France international Tchouameni is not having the dream first season in Spain he might have hoped for.
He has made only 14 La Liga starts from 24 games, and with Real sitting 11 points behind Barcelona in the table, the pressure is on.
At the weekend he started and was substituted just after an hour in Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw with Real Betis.
Spanish newspaper AS is distinctively unimpressed, running an editorial titled: “Something is wrong with Tchouameni”.
Within the piece it is noted that Tchouameni’s attacking and defensive numbers are down on his performances for Monaco last season, and draw unfavourable comparisons to Casemiro.
The report reads: “The passing of the season is showing that Casemiro’s shoes are still too big for him. And Madrid notices it.”
It was thought early in the season that Casemiro leaving Real Madrid might be better for Tchouameni as it meant he would have more regular game time and not have to compete with the Br azilian.
That may be true, but it has increased the spotlight and the pressure on the 23-year-old to perform, and right now he is going through a difficult phase.
The report adds: “the most serious thing about Tchouameni is that he seems to go through many moments of the games on tiptoe, without being noticed, neither in attack nor, above all, in defense.”
It stops short of regretting selling Casemiro, but Real did not really have too much choice in the matter.
The Br azilian expressed desire for a new challenge, and he has embraced the new adventure in Manchester, leading the team to silverware already.
Tchouameni will likely come good with time at Real, but moving to big clubs can be difficult. Tasked with replacing a five-times Champions League winner like Casemiro just pumps up the pressure even more.