United have agreed a deal with Real Madrid for Casemiro. Now personal terms, medical and visa need to be finalised. However, the Brazilian is expected to complete formalities for a £70m move after arriving in Manchester on Saturday. AS reported that the 30-year-old has landed in Manchester as he looks to put the finishing touches to a move that has been rushed through this week. And Ferdinand believes Casemiro is a man you want on your side in a fight. Ferdinand told his Vibe with Five YouTube channel: “First and foremost, the guy is a real winner, he knows how to win, he’s been integral to everything positive at Real Madrid in recent years. “[He has been] one of the key guys alongside Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema. Cristiano [Ronaldo] before that. “When the big games come, this guy plays. He knows what he’s doing, he’s there. “There are no emotions with him. He’s not a marketer, he’s not a man of ability, he’s not someone who wants to get fans out of their seats with a bit of skill. “He’s there to do a job which means the team is better, runs more efficiently, will have a chance to win because he’s in the team. “He is first and foremost a team player, which I love. If there’s a fight, he’s a man you want on your side.” The old United boy also picked out a few factors that could work against United.
No resale value
“Are there negatives? Yes, there are,” Ferdinand added. “Obviously the age, 30 years old. I wouldn’t say that’s a huge negative, but I think if you’re talking from a business perspective, the resale value will be zero. “So it’s £60m, plus £10m extras, and then obviously you bounce wages on top of that. So you’re probably looking at somewhere around £100m – if you get spare change from that, you’ll be lucky. “At a time when we don’t have the finances, it doesn’t seem like we can bring in big players and we’ve put everything into him. So it has to work. “Coming from Spain for Casemiro to a team that has absolutely no confidence is absolutely difficult in all areas, especially tactically, physically, mentally. “I think it’s going to be a huge ask for a 30-year-old to come in, recharge, reboot and go again.”
Why did United go for Casemiro over Rice?
Ultimately though he believes it was the price that put West Ham United and England star Rice and pushed them to Casemiro. “I think a lot of people are going to sit there and go ‘why didn’t they get Declan Rice?’ “The price of Declan Rice, he surpassed them. They could do a player plus cash deal. Maybe potentially, with one of the defenders, Aaran Wan-Bissaka. “But the question is whether West Ham would want one of those players. He (Rice) has a better profile in terms of age, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience and Ten Haag wants it here and now. “They don’t want someone to come in and learn the ropes. Someone like Declan Rice, as good a player as he is, hasn’t won at the top level. And he hasn’t played in the Champions League yet. “Casemiro is not one of those who I thought was on the radar. But he’s growing me and I hope he’ll be fine.” READ MORE: Man Utd ‘flooded’ with interest to boot after Casemiro’s arrival, as Ten Hag ponders player’s turnaround
