Casemiro Antony
Casemiro and Antony are on big-money contracts
Manchester United would reportedly terminate Casemiro and Antony’s lucrative contracts if they could.
With the Erik ten Hag experiment over and new minority shareholder Ratcliffe having chosen Ruben Amorim as successor, a different path is now being trodden at Old Trafford.
However, bringing in Amorim has not been a simple plug-and-play. The squad that the Portuguese boss has inherited still possesses some of the squeaky aspects that contributed to his predecessor’s sacking - and results have reflected this, with just a single league win so far and a shock 3-2 home loss against Nottingham Forest last time out.
Though Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly has a plan going forward, with signing younger players being a priority, The Telegraph reports that the club would 'erase' the contracts of Casemiro and Antony if they could, with the duo seen as 'mistake buys'.
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Brazilian enforcer Casemiro is supposedly the club’s current top earner, with his weekly wage estimated to be over £300,000. While he offered Ten Hag a world-class holding midfield maestro upon signing in August 2022, now 32, he has seen quite a decline in performance over the past season.
This led to Casemiro being linked with a summer switch away from Old Trafford, but no move has materialised. He and his gargantuan contract, which runs out in 2026, remain under Amorim.
Antony, too, is another who finds himself out of sorts but lucratively paid. His £82m fee is accompanied by a contract that expires in 2027 and is worth a rumoured £200,000-a-week.
Antony Casemiro
The Brazilian pair are supposedly seen as costly mistakes
Yet, while getting these stars, who are playing rather scarcely, off the club’s books would reportedly be beneficial, Ratcliffe knows it won't be simple. One slither of positively borne from these ‘mistakes’, though, is seemingly the ability to learn from them and change their approach to recruiting.
The same report claims United could 'go the Chelsea way' and sign younger players on long-term deals. Diego Leon, the teenage left-wing back, has talked up his potential move to Old Trafford with the Red Devils believed to be closing in on his signature.
Ratcliffe is said to be understanding that he and the club must 'take their medicine' for the time being but is committed as ever to United's painful rebirth despite causing controversy with some of his decision-making, including the mass redundancies earlier in the year.
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