Gary Neville's bizarrely timed Casemiro claim is coming back to haunt Manchester United

Casemiro has endured a torrid start to the campaign with Manchester United and many supporters are shocked to see the drop-off from last season.

The Brazilian was a late arrival last summer, signing in a £70million deal from Real Madrid after United's lengthy pursuit of Frenkie de Jong collapsed. There was plenty of scrutiny regarding the move, particularly the decision to hand a four-year contract to a 30-year-old.

A lot of that criticism disappeared quickly, however, with the defensive midfielder wasting no time in showing his quality and gelling the team together from that central area. Casemiro's elite mentality seemed to be rubbing off on his teammates, too, and he quickly became part of a core of experienced players.

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The former Madrid man was crucial to United's success last season, with Ten Hag's side winning the Carabao Cup in February - their first trophy for six years. He also played a major role in a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League.

But even during that hugely successful period, both for United and Casemiro, former Reds captain Gary Neville continued to question the long-term decision.

"£70million and £20m-a-year [contract] for five years is a £170m investment," Neville told The Overlap back in March. "That is a massive investment. It’s not a smart or shrewd signing when you look at it from a [big picture] point of view."

Many fell in love with the Brazilian last season and that early criticism quickly seemed way off the pace. But at 31 years old and seemingly struggling with the pace of Premier League football,