Casemiro has hit back at Gary Neville’s criticism of Man Utd star Antony and says the Brazilian is an ‘important’ member of the first team.

Casmiero hailed Antony (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The winger has attracted criticism in recent weeks for his performances, with the 22-year-old frustrating some with his unorthodox play.

Neville said Antony was ‘predictable’ after United’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, while Rio Ferdinand said he lacked the pace to beat defenders.

Antony’s scored five goals in 20 appearances for United since his £85m move from Ajax but his performances have been flatter in recent weeks.

But the Brazilian was named Man of the Match in United’s 3-1 win against Reading and Casemiro hit back at Antony’s detractors, praising his ‘incredible’ creativity.

Antony was named Man of the Match (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

‘Every goal that we score is a result of a collective effort,’ said Casemiro.‘Every goal we concede is a collective consequence, there’s no individual error in this squad, we’re together

‘On my first goal, Antony’s pass was incredible. I know that people focus on who scored, but I wanted to give him a bit of love as the pass was magic. He’s an important player for us

‘When you arrive at a new club, you always dream of making history. Especially if we see the greatness of this club. We know the history.

‘But of course, I was aware of needing some time to adapt and of the rivals having a long-term plan before ours, like Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, they all have managers that have been there for a while and, therefore, they have an advantage.

‘I’m happy with my adaptation here, my teammates and the staff are really helping me. Also with the English language, it’s been quite hard but I’m really trying to get better.

‘Everyone here has been lovely with me and since the first day I feel at home here. I appreciate all the effort that the club has done to bring me here, John (Murtough) included.

‘I’m very comfortable at Man Utd, extremely happy to be here and enjoying every moment like a 15-year-old kid! But the most important is to see the team growing.

‘I’m grateful for the compliments I’ve been receiving, but the key to all of that is: I’m really enjoying myself here. I’m very happy and I do feel at home. So I want to thank the fans, the players, the staff, the board. I can only be grateful.

‘We know we’re progressing within a plan, step by step we’re building a well-structured team and this is important. To win titles in the future, you have to build a solid foundation.’

source: https://metro.co.uk/