Paul Scholes questions if Erik ten Hag approved Casemiro transfer

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has questioned Erik ten Hag’s role in the signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid.

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The Brazilian joined the Red Devils in a £60million move in August, with the midfielder signing a four-year deal worth around £300,000-a-week.

Casemiro’s move came after a 10-week failed pursuit of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona and the transfer was completed within 72 hours following the side’s defeat to Brentford.

Ten Hag had been insistent on signing a deep-lying playmaker but Casemiro is more of a defensive midfielder, having spent the last decade playing alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

United had given Ten Hag a budget of around £130m at the start of the summer but their final outlay was around £225m, with the board releasing more funds following the side’s defeats to Brighton and Brentford.

Though Ten Hag was pleased with the window by its close, United scrambled for signings in the final weeks of August and ended up paying over the odds for Casemiro and Antony.

And Scholes has questioned whether the Dutchman had an influential role in the purchase of Casemiro.

Speaking on the Overlap with Gary Neville, Scholes discussed United’s recruitment over the last few years before talking about Casemiro’s arrival.

‘Jadon Sancho was a young player who Manchester United spent a lot of money on, who was unproven in the league,’ said Scholes. ‘And why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go? If you looked at him last season, he didn’t look right. I didn’t think it was a great transfer window.”

 ’Nobody at the club is taking responsibility for it. This year, Casemiro was done over two days. I wonder if it was the manager’s signing. A lot of money, long contract.