Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Casemiro should have been arrested after grabbing Will Hughes by the throat during Manchester United’s win against Crystal Palace.
Since joining the Red Devils from Real Madrid in the summer, the midfielder has been a revelation, playing virtually constantly in Erik ten Hag’s midfield.
He put his hands on Hughes’ throat, which caused referee Craig Pawson to show him a straight red card, much to his astonishment.
Former attacker Agbonlahor said Casemiro needed internal sanctions from United during a TalkSport interview, liking his conduct to a UFC maneuver.
The former Aston Villa forward – who predicted Liverpool’s sufferings after Mane was let go, said that, ‘Casemiro thought he was Brock Lesnar back in the UFC.’
‘The way he was strangling Will Hughes, he should be arrested for that. Kids are watching that later on, on Match of the Day. Seeing Casemiro strangling an opponent.’
‘This isn’t ice hockey in America where they have a scrap during the game. This is football, we don’t want to see that.’
‘So Casemiro needs to be disciplined by Manchester United.’
Following a 20-man brawl, ten Hag criticized the choice to single out Casemiro.
The United boss said, “I see two teams fighting each other. ‘I see two teams where several players crossed the line, and then one player is picked out and gets sent off. That’s not right in my opinion.
‘When Casemiro is sent off for this incident, many more players should have been sent off. You have to be consistent.’
Ten Hag responded when asked if Ayew ought to have been one of them: ‘Definitely. He did even worse than Casemiro. Casemiro, you freeze the shot and he crossed the line. Ayew definitely. You have to be consistent with VAR.’
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Former English professional footballer Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor was a forward who primarily played as a central striker but could also play on the wing. He was born on October 13, 1986.
He began his professional career with loans at Watford and Sheffield Wednesday and eventually spent his entire playing career with Aston Villa in the Premier League and later the Championship.
He graduated from the Aston Villa Academy and made his first-team debut in 2006 after going on loans to Watford and Sheffield Wednesday of the Football League.
For Aston Villa, he made 391 total appearances, 322 of which were in the Premier League.
With 74 goals across 11 straight league seasons, he is the club’s all-time greatest Premier League scorer and scored 87 goals for the team.
Agbonlahor, who had previously played frequently for England’s under-21 team, made his senior international debut for his country in 2008 and was given three caps.
What Did Casemiro Do?
When Jeffrey Schlupp tackled Antony off the ball and sent the Brazilian tumbling toward the billboards, United players responded angrily.
Following that, there was a brawl involving both groups of players. Casemiro targeted out Hughes and seemed to hold him by the throat before swiping at his face.
Andre Mariner missed the moment of insanity, but a VAR intervention told the on-field official to send the midfielder off.
Erik ten Hag will certainly suffer a big setback in United’s quest for the top four as Casemiro, who has only recently returned from a suspension following a yellow card he received in the opposite scenario, will likely be given a three-match suspension for his red card.
His absence underscores the significance of Marcel Sabitzer’s acquisition; given United’s bare-bones midfield, the newcomer will almost certainly be utilized right away.
With a three-game suspension, the Brazilian would be ineligible to play in the Europa League encounter against Barcelona on February 16 but would still be able to participate in the two league games against Leeds and the home game versus Leicester.
