Manchester United have had a far-from-ideal start to the 2024/25 campaign. It was a big summer transfer window at Old Trafford, where the Red Devils spent around £205.9m as per Sky Sports. However, their start to the new season certainly does not reflect the big bucks splashed by Erik ten Hag’s side.
The new campaign actually got off to a winning start for the Dutchman and his side, as they overcame Fulham at Old Trafford. United beat the Cottagers 1-0, with a goal from debutant Joshua Zirkzee sealing all three points in the Premier League’s opening game.
However, things quickly went downhill from there, and the 13-time Premier League champions suffered two defeats in a row. The first of those came at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion, who beat United 2-1 on the South Coast after a late winning goal from Joao Pedro.
Their most recent loss came against big rivals Liverpool. The Anfield side toyed with the Red Devils, eventually securing a 3-0 victory with two goals coming from Luis Diaz and one at the hands of Mohamed Salah. That was a particularly poor performance from United, but there was one player in particular who struggled, a man whose value in the past few months has rapidly declined.
Casemiro’s value in 2024
The player in question here is United’s Brazilian midfielder, Casemiro. The 32-year-old has been a shadow of his former self in 2024 and is far from the destroyer in midfield who helped Real Madrid win five Champions League titles between 2014 and 2022.
Indeed, that has led to plenty of criticism from the wider media, with former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher one of those to criticise the former Brazil captain. Carragher famously said United’s number 18 must “leave the football before the football leaves you” after United lost 4-0 away to Crystal Palace last season.
His performance against Liverpool last Sunday was perhaps the icing on the cake on what is a sad decline by someone who was once one of the best midfielders in Europe.
Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst gave Casemiro a rating of 1/10 following his showing against the Reds, claiming it was “one of the worst” first halves of football by a United player at Old Trafford. He was hauled off at half-time.
His numbers from the game certainly reflect this. As per Sofascore, the 32-year-old completed just 70% of his passes, won only two from five ground duels, was dribbled past twice and made two errors leading to a goal. It was a poor performance.
Stat
Number
Pass accuracy
70%
Possession lost
14
Ground duels won
2/5
Dribbled past
2
Errors leading to goal
2
With that in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that the former Madrid midfielder’s value has dropped so much. According to Transfermarkt, he is now valued at just £16.8m, a far cry from the high of £67.5m he was valued at in 2020 whilst still a Los Blancos player.
Despite his steep decline, the Brazilian is still a player who Ten Hag has trusted throughout his tenure at Old Trafford. The 32-year-old has pulled on that famous red shirt 87 times, scored 12 goals and registered nine assists along the way.
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There is no doubt that the fast decline of United’s number 18 has impacted the team, and it is certainly sad to see such a legend of the modern game look a shadow of his former self. He has now slipped far down the list of highest-valued players at Old Trafford, and there has been something of a changing of the guard.
The next generation of Red Devils stars have now begun to overtake Casemiro, including Alejandro Garnacho.
Alejandro Garnacho’s value in 2024
It has been something of an astronomic rise to the top for 20-year-old Argentina international Garnacho. The winger has become a crucial player under Ten Hag and has since become a full international with the 2022 World Cup winners. The dynamic winger was part of Lionel Scaloni’s squad that won the 2024 Copa America.
In total, he has played 90 times for the Red Devils so far, an impressive number of appearances at such a young age. He has scored 19 goals and has 11 assists to his name, with the 2023/24 campaign in particular proving to be successful for the youngster, his best yet in terms of goals and assists.
Competition
Games
Goals
Assists
Premier League
36
7
4
Champions League
6
1
0
FA Cup
6
1
1
Carabao Cup
2
1
0
Total
50
10
5
The youngster has already scored some crucial goals for United so far, despite being so early in his Old Trafford career. The wing wizard scored United’s opener in both the FA Cup Final and the Community Shield, both against Manchester City.
The cumulation of the United number 17’s impressive performances in Red so far has led to a prestigious nomination for the Kopa Trophy. Garnacho is in with a shot at winning the award for Europe’s best young player, along with fellow United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo, and the likes of Lamine Yamal.
Given the impressive start Garnacho has made to his Red Devils career, it is no surprise he is so highly valued now. The 20-year-old is worth more than double that of Casemiro, with his current value as per Transfermarkt standing at £37.9m.
Not only does that show just how good the youngster has been for Ten Hag’s side, but it also represents superb profit margins for United. They paid an incredibly low fee to acquire his services from Atletico Madrid back in 2020, just £420k, as per the Manchester Evening News.
Described as a “wonderboy” by football scout Antonio Mango, the 19-year-old certainly seems to be a superb investment for United so far. He has already shot up in value thanks to his impressive performances, and could even receive an award as a result.
It has certainly been a brilliant piece of business from the Red Devils, and Garnacho continues to repay their faith.
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