Real Madrid players were unhappy with the club’s decision

Real Madrid are in an interesting phase right now. After winning five Champions League titles in nine seasons, it is pretty clear that the Old Guard will slowly move away now in favour of the future stars of the club. We have seen the likes of Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Isco leave in the summer. While those departures were expected, one that was not was Casemiro’s move to Manchester United.

Casemiro is still just 30 years of age and played a key part in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph last season. Thus, when the Brazilian did end up leaving, it came as a shock to many people.

When the Casemiro to Manchester United rumours had initially broken out, many fans had dismissed them as ‘fiction’. They proved to be anything but that, and soon, the Brazilian was off to Old Trafford, having won everything that was there to win during his stint at Santiago Bernabeu.

And it appears that Real Madrid players were not happy with the club’s decision to let Casemiro go either. As reported by The Athletic:

"Real Madrid’s players weren’t happy.They had heard Casemiro was being linked with a move away from the club, but initially dismissed it. When they realised the Brazilian was set to join Manchester United, a group of senior players went to see manager Carlo Ancelotti.They got straight to the point: Madrid cannot let Casemiro go, he’s integral to the side that has won everything, the reigning Spanish and European champions."

Real Madrid players were not happy to see Casemiro leave

Ultimately, it was perhaps too good of an offer for Real Madrid to turn down, a package believed to be around £70 million including add-ons, for a defensive midfielder who was 30 years of age.

And it has not proven to be the disaster that many had predicted either. The large part of the credit for that goes to Aurelien Tchouameni, who arrived only this summer, but has seamlessly stepped into the starting XI and replaced a club legend like Casemiro. He is still just 22 years of age and one can only wonder how good he will be in his prime.

On the other hand, Casemiro has had an up and down time at Manchester United, although he is impressing with the Brazil national team at the World Cup, as they are one of the favourites to win it all.