Gary Neville calls out Graeme Souness for Casemiro comments on Instagram live

Gary Neville asked Gary Souness if he wanted to apologise for his previous comments on Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

There were some eyebrows raised in the summer when United splashed out £60 million for the 30-year-old despite a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid.

And former Liverpool midfielder Souness was one in particular who has been made to eat his words after Casemiro's transformative effect on third-placed United.

He has been an absolute phenomenon in the middle of the pitch, knitting everything together and bringing a winning mentality to the Red Devils.

The Brazilian has also popped up with important goals and scored the opener as United won their first trophy in six years last Sunday when they beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Previously, Souness, had been critical of United's signing of Casemiro. Speaking on talkSPORT, he claimed the former Porto man "has never been a great player", described him as a "steady Eddie" and stated that United had paid "too much money".

Image: Alamy

Feeling that the five-time Champions League winner was made to look better by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, he said: "I think he was lucky to be in that Real Madrid team. I never look forward to watching Casemiro. [Karim] Benzema, definitely. The other midfield players, definitely. I never thought, 'I’m really excited to watch Casemiro play today'."

Casemiro is being talked about as the signing of the season and prior to the trip to Liverpool, Neville asked his fellow Sky Sports pundit if he wished to apologise for his take.

Image: Alamy

However, stubborn as ever, the Scotsman was still sticking to his guns.

"I said he's a 'steady Eddie'. In that position I'd be happy to described as a 'steady Eddie' in that position. I would describe him as a foundation piece - you can build your team on that.

"I like him. There's nothing to dislike about him."

Still, he stressed he hasn't been better than he thought - even if Neville was happy to admit his surprise.

He added: "No! I tell you what, he's getting goals - which is not really his strongest point."

The video did the rounds on social media before Sunday's clash at Anfield, where United fans will be hoping for another big performance from their No.18.

Topics: Gary Neville, Casemiro, Graeme Souness, Real Madrid, Manchester United

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

@joshlawless_