In an interview following the charity match between Manchester United Legends and Celtic Legends, former Manchester United star Nicky Butt spoke up for current teammate Casemiro, arguing that criticism of the Brazilian midfielder is too harsh. Bart pointed out that although Casemiro has underperformed in certain matches, especially in the first half of the double-red match, it is not enough to take away from his past great achievements and contribution to the team.
"Casemiro has won all the victories he could," Bart stressed, "and I think it's a bit unfair to criticize him. Yes, he didn't play well in the first half of that crucial game, everyone saw it and criticized him. But I think that criticism is a little bit too harsh."
Bart further said that Casemiro, as an experienced player, knows exactly what he is capable of and where he stands, and knows how to adjust in the face of adversity. "He knows what he's doing and he's won a lot more honors than I have," Bart said, "so I'm not going to sit here and tell him what to do. But he did play a bad game, and I'm sure it's not the first time in his long career that he's played like that. It's happened to all of us."
Bart also offered his opinion on Casemiro's age. "He's only 32, not as old as people say," Bart said, "which is still the prime age for a professional player. He has to come back and prove people wrong and respond to those questions and criticisms with action. That's the beauty of soccer, people will doubt you and attack you, but you can shut them up by training hard and playing."
