Casemiro sends message to Gary Neville after being called one of Man Utd's worst signings

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro let his game do the talking as he scored twice in Ruud van Nistelrooy's dugout debut to prove a certain pundit wrong for slating him

Ruud van Nistelrooy's debut as Manchester United boss couldn't have gone much better - and Casemiro was a big reason why.

The Brazil international scored twice as United ousted Leicester City from the Carabao Cup with the 5-2 triumph at Old Trafford. And he was just one of several players who appeared to flick a switch as interim boss Van Nistelrooy oversaw the club's most conclusive result of the season to date.

It was the former Real Madrid anchor who opened the scoring with a 30-yard screamer into the top-right corner. That was before he followed up his own blocked effort to convert from close range and give United a 4-1 lead in front of 73,500 fans.

And those same supporters recognised Casemiro's tide-turning display by voting him as the conclusive winner in the Player of the Match poll. Despite having his share of disappointing displays since joining United two years ago, the 32-year-old was at his all-rounded best in the midweek outing.

Casemiro enjoyed a stellar debut season for the Red Devils before dropping off last term - though he was far from alone in that sense. And his contribution gave Van Nistelrooy the dream start he was after as the club icon had a managerial debut to remember.

The performance was well-timed if Casemiro's aim was to disprove the claims recently made by Neville regarding his time at Old Trafford. Soon after Erik ten Hag was sacked, the former United right-back named Casemiro as arguably one of the worst signings in the club's history.

"The performances have been really poor this season, the results have been shocking, the league position is terrible," said Neville on It's Called Soccer!. "His legacy is definitely winning two trophies in two seasons through a very difficult point. The recruitment to be fair has been appalling for ten years and he’s been a victim of that himself.

"I think he oversaw two of the worst transfers Manchester United will ever have made in the signings of Casemiro and Antony. They were signed for £140-150m in a panic after the Brentford and Brighton losses. I hope I’m wrong, I hope Casemiro can do a great job for the club for four or five years and I hope Antony comes good."

While £85million Antony is still fighting to prove his worth at United, Casemiro has at least enjoyed streaks of consistent form since they both joined the club in the summer of 2022. And fans will be hoping Wednesday's outing is but the start of yet another fine run for the former.

The expectation is that Van Nistelrooy will leave the club should Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim take over as Ten Hag's successor. But Casemiro will look to continue where he left off under the Dutch caretaker after underlining his value with a critical cameo in the Carabao Cup.

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