Scottish icon Graeme Souness in an interview with TalkSports had raised concern over two Manchester United summer signings Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro despite their impressive performances for the Red Devils.
Graeme Souness had claimed Lisandro Martinez is not good on the ball and Casemiro will never be great.
The 69-year-old on TalkSports said on Martinez: “That worry for me is still there.
“I think he has bought a bit of aggression to them. We have played 12 games. There is a lot to like about him.
“I like his aggression. If you think back to the first thing he did in the game against Liverpool at Old Trafford, he’s gone right through Mo Salah.
“For the rest of the game, Salah was looking over his shoulder. I like that. That’s a professional sport.
“But I just feel when you are that size you will get caught, you will get pinned in the box.
“I still don’t think he is terribly quick, I don’t think he is terribly good on the ball. But he’s got something about him that makes other people play.”
On Casemiro, Souness added: “Casemiro will make a big difference to them. But I don’t see him as a great player.
“You [talkSPORT colleagues Jim White and Simon Jordan] are accusing me of calling him a steady Eddie, I stand by that. He is a good steady Eddie. Not a great player.
“A steady Eddie is a 7.5 out of ten every week. In my language, it means he’s a seven, 7.5 every week, he is a real team player.”
The South American duo are becoming Manchester United fans’ favorite after their impressive week in week out performance.
What did Rio Ferdinand say?
Responding to Graeme Souness’s criticism, the Manchester United icon said on his YouTube Channel: “Oh come on Graeme, man. He’s not watched the games.
“Graeme, I’m sorry because I like you and what a player he was by the way… but forget all that now, you’ve got to watch the games man! You’ve got to watch the games, you can’t be saying things like that.
“He’s obviously not watching Martinez because one of his main attributes when you speak to anyone who knows the game is he’s great with the ball, he’ll take it anywhere, he can pass, he’s tenacious, aggressive, can defend.
“To say he can’t pass… and he called Casemiro a steady Eddie? He’s won five Champions Leagues bruv and been integral to all of them. He can’t be a steady Eddie.
“United have been winning and Martinez is one of the best players in the team at the moment. Casemiro, since coming into the team, has been arguably the most important player.
“The two players he’s picked out are probably the worst two he could have picked [for criticism].”
Manchester United are now fifth in the Premier League following a hard-fought 1-0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford.
