“He’s covering distances that are impossible for Rodri to cover” - Jamie Redknapp names Manchester United star he feels ‘sorry’ for

Pundit Jamie Redknapp expressed his sympathy for veteran Manchester United midfielder Casemiro after his performance in the recent defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The Brazil international featured from the start as the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, February 16.

This was a rare start for Casemiro, with Ruben Amorim facing a major injury crisis which left them with the Brazilian as their only fit defensive midfielder. He was partnered by the more attack-minded Bruno Fernandes and was left to cover vast spaces in the middle of the park, as a result.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp opined that Casemiro gets blamed a lot, but the midfield structure has done nothing to help him. He claimed that even Manchester City star and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri would have found it difficult to get by in that midfield alone.

“Casemiro, he gets a lot of stick. In his defence, I played midfield, I felt sorry for him today in there because he’s covering distances that are impossible for Rodri to cover. Rodri would’ve found it hard in that midfield today on his own and he’s the number one [defensive midfielder in the world] as we say. But it was impossible for him,” Redknapp said.

Former Real Madrid star Casemiro has appeared just 15 times in the Premier League this season, playing five times since Amorim was appointed in November. The 32-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club, as it is apparent that the Portuguese tactician does not rely much on him.

Casemiro lost the ball 12 times in the game against Tottenham, lost seven of 18 duels, and was dribbled past four times. The midfielder was taken off in added time and replaced by 17-year-old striker Chido Obi in Manchester United's only substitution of the night.

Manchester United suffer another unwanted first in Tottenham defeat

Ruben Amorim led a depleted Manchester United squad to an unwanted first at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The Red Devils lost 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as their hosts completed a first-ever Premier League double over them.

James Maddison got the only goal of the game in the 13th minute, following up to prod home from close range after Andre Onana parried a shot into his path. Neither side managed to find the net for the remainder of the game, and Spurs won at home for the first time since November 2024.

Manchester United dropped to 15th in the league following the defeat, their third in all competitions at the hands of Tottenham. They lost their 12th match out of 25 in the league this season, their highest such tally since they were relegated in the 1973-74 season.