Rio Ferdinand should know Jamie Carragher is right about Casemiro after his own experience

Casemiro didn't need the pundits to tell him he had endured a torrid afternoon against Liverpool at Old Trafford — he was hooked (or perhaps spared) at half-time by Erik ten Hag.

Even so, Jamie Carragher rattled off some brutal home truths; Rio Ferdinand rushed to the Manchester United man's defense, but deep down he should know that his former rival is right.

The Brazilian, who earned a reputation as a world-class operator at Real Madrid, was at fault for both of Liverpool's goals in the first half, with Luis Diaz ruthlessly punishing the veteran's mistakes. Even the simplest passes were going astray by the end of a shambolic 45 minutes, as Casemiro looked shot of confidence.

"Leave the football before the football leaves you" was Carragher's damning verdict about Casemiro on Sky Sports commentary last May. Ferdinand slammed that comment as "out of order", having dug up the clip.

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Cynics would say he was farming engagement to his own "Rio Ferdinand Presents" podcast, where he called out Carragher before clipping it up and tagging the Liverpool legend in a tweet. But taking Ferdinand at face value, he has not got a leg to stand on.

"I just think that's highly disrespectful," he said of Carragher's remarks. "I just think that's really disrespectful, especially given what my man's won. If there's more to it than just he's made a couple of mistakes... [but] because if you look at the two games before this season, he's been probably arguably Man United's best player.

"I think it's easy to say he's gone, he's finished, he's too old. He's 32 but I believe, when I look at him, I just feel he's being asked to do a lot of things like play 30-yard balls and dictate the pace of the game.

"These are things that Man United would never have recruited him for. He was never asked to do this before at Real Madrid. He was cleaning up, security in front, slide tackling, covering all the gaps, and then giving it to other people to play football."

Carragher, of course, was never denying what Ferdinand's "man" has achieved up to this point in his career. In fact, it's almost a mark of respect to top professionals to tell them to bow out with their reputations still somewhat intact.

There might be something in the claim that Manchester United's system does not lend itself to success for Casemiro. But even then, can any team be expected to build around getting the best out of a 32-year-old on sky-high wages? Erik ten Hag has made some questionable choices, but that would be right up there with the worst of them.

And Ferdinand, of all people, should know all this. He tried to extend his top-level career beyond his top-level talent, and got horribly exposed.

The former Manchester United man had an abysmal spell with QPR in his autumn years as a player. Unless he was only interested in a final paycheck, you'd imagine he wishes someone had advised him to call it a day and hang up his boots.

Moving to the London club where his brother Anton had previously played, Ferdinand lasted a single year before being released and ultimately retiring. Starting the first seven Premier League matches, he would make just four more appearances as he tumbled down the pecking order.

Such an inauspicious end to his career does not change the fact that Ferdinand was one of the best Premier League center-backs ever, just as Carragher pointing out Casemiro's struggles does not deny his Real Madrid legacy. The simple fact is that time catches up to everyone eventually.

It's been almost a decade, so perhaps Ferdinand has forgotten his chastening experience as his career wound down. But instead of having a go at Carragher, he should take a moment to reflect on his own playing days, and realize that the time comes where even the best need to walk away.