Man Utd: Ratcliffe singled out £60m signing when assessing ‘questionable recruitment’ in March visit
Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly singled out the signing of Casemiro when critiquing Manchester United’s transfer business in recent years.
United have actually made some good signings since Erik ten Hag joined the club ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
The club’s business in the transfer market as a whole since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 has been very suspect, though.
Casemiro’s €70million (£60.7million) move in the summer of 2022 did raise quite a few eyebrows, even if he is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.
Having signed a four-year deal worth a reported £350,000 per week, it was quite surprising to see such a large amount of money invested into a 30-year-old.
READ MORE: Sancho flops, Casemiro praised: Ranking all 60 Man Utd signings since Sir Alex retired in 2013
All in all, the signing of Casemiro has been a success. He was spectacular last season and played a huge part in Manchester United ending their trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup and returning to the Champions League.
This season has been extremely difficult for Casemiro, however.
But it was during a visit to Old Trafford in March that prospective owner Ratcliffe singled out the big-money signing of the Brazilian international.
According to The Guardian, Ratcliffe used his time with the Red Devils bosses to question the club’s transfer policy, citing the £60.7m signing of Casemiro as an example.
The British billionaire wants to take control of all football operations if his bid to buy 25 per cent of the Glazers’ stake in United is accepted this week.
He apparently thinks the Casemiro deal was ‘questionable recruitment’.
It is believed that Ratcliffe’s ‘priority’ is to appoint a new sporting director with Paul Mitchell and Michael Edwards the leading candidates.
Ratcliffe has publically criticised United’s transfer business in the past, using the signing of Fred as an example of the club ‘not buying well’.
“They haven’t got the manager selection right, haven’t bought well,” he told The Times in 2019. “They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred.
“United have spent an immense amount since Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest. We have a different approach here to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grassroots, trying to locate young talent.
“Some clubs seem to have an ability to do that, Southampton, Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot.”
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