Casemiro's decline at Manchester United painful to watch

The knives are out for Manchester United's Casemiro following an admittedly poor performance against Liverpool. The Brazilian twice lost possession before Luis Diaz fired home as United were battered 3-0 at home by their fierce rivals . Casemiro's humiliation didn't end there, with the five-time Uefa Champions League winner hooked at half time by United manager Erik ten Hag , replaced by the 20-year-old Toby Collyer making his Premier League debut. The inevitable criticism that followed was fierce but deserved. Casemiro had given the ball away several times before a needless first-time pass was intercepted by Ryan Gravenberch in the build-up to Liverpool's first goal. His claims for a foul ahead of Liverpool's second were half-hearted, and it was typical of the Brazilian's 45-minute outing that he was muscled off the ball. The performance at Old Trafford was by no means a one-off. Casemiro's degradation set in last season, with the shambolic display against Arsenal in May the punchline to a player in decline. "I think that in football everyone has to take responsibility," Ten Hag said of the Liverpool loss. With regards to Casemiro, Ten Hag added: "He's a great character. He has won everything in his career. I'm sure he will keep contributing to our team. Casemiro is always winning, so he will be there." Make no mistake, Casemiro has the capacity and mental fortitude to overcome setbacks. He is only 32 and has enough body of work to suggest that he relishes overcoming adversity. His wife posted a picture after Sunday's game displaying her husband's trophy collection, as impressive as any player's in world football. The vast majority of those were earned as a midfield stalwart at Real Madrid, a club he served with distinction before a £70 million move to United in August 2022 . It does beg the question why Madrid were happy to let Casemiro leave in the first place. The Brazilian was part of a wildly successful midfield triumvirate alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric that would win five European Cups and three La Liga titles together. Kroos and Modric are both older than Casemiro and yet both were kept on. Both helped Madrid win a record-extending 15th Champions League last season. Kroos was begged not to retire in the summer and told he's welcome back if he changes his mind and Modric has been retained for a 13th season at the club. Whether the reasons were financial or tactical, it was clear Casemiro was seen as a player whose powers had waned. The calibre of United's squad pales in comparison to Real Madrid's and the experience and leadership United had hoped he would bring to the club have been overshadowed by errors and costly mistakes. Casemiro is United's highest-paid player but has become a luxury they can ill afford. Casemiro's decline mirrors United's as a collective. Last season's FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City masked a hugely disappointing campaign in which United finished eighth in the Premier League and were dumped out of the Champions League in the group phase. The start to this season has done nothing to inspire confidence that the tide has turned. United were lucky to come away with all three points in their opener against Fulham , lost to a 95th-minute winner to Brighton & Hove Albion, and were so far behind Liverpool on Sunday that there is no way they can even consider talk of a title challenge even after only three games. There is plenty of talk that Sunday's horror show will signal the death knell to Casemiro's United career. And while the malaise at United is by no means down to him alone, the shrinking of a colossal player, at a giant club like United, is painful to watch.