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It has taken a while and it took a little longer still when Ten Hag eased him into the lineup, waiting six weeks before giving him his first league start. That was at Everton on 9 October in the 2-1 win and Casemiro has since been on the losing team only once. His complete United record reads: W25 D4 L3. Casemiro congratulates Bruno Fernandes after he scored against Fulham in United’s last game of the Premier League season. Photograph: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images It’s a club with great history, I will have to work hard to make a name for myself because there, I have won nothing yet. At Manchester United, first of all, what I want is to transmit the way I feel about the club, my respect.
The Red Devils will welcome Manuel Pellegrini's men to Old Trafford this Thursday for a last-16 clash, having beaten Barcelona in the play-off round. Casemiro, 30, was instrumental in both legs but could find himself missing an upcoming fixture as United resume their European campaign following Sunday's appalling 7-0 defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool. The likes of Casemiro and fellow summer signing Lisandro Martínez have been central to restoring that bond between players and supporters after the disconnect last season. That was probably never better encapsulated than at Stamford Bridge in October when Casemiro’s dramatic 94th minute equaliser sparked wild scenes of celebration. Now 30, the only disappointment for supporters is they have had to wait until this stage of Casemiro’s career to finally see a midfielder of that calibre in a red shirt.
He studies his opponents and their strengths and weaknesses in detail before games and is a huge football fan who will generally watch a game a day, which is surprisingly uncommon for modern day players. Some of the older academy players have been overwhelmed by the time he affords them. The Manchester United Foundation say much the same. In midfield, cover for Casemiro is also of the utmost importance. United were fragile during his suspensions this season, so it’s no surprise to see the club linked with a move for Adrien Rabiot. The France international, who is out of contract at Juventus next month, was rumoured to be on United’s radar last summer and he could be a decent fit to ease the burden on Casemiro. With Casemiro, United are averaging 64.1 passes into the final third per game compared to 51.3 without him and their open play crosses, possession and pass accuracy statistics all shoot up who dramatically when the Brazilian plays. Listening to the Old Trafford crowd roar its approval whenever Casemiro makes another raking pass has, sources said, left a huge impression on the player. Casemiro with the Champions League trophy last May – the fifth he won with Real Madrid. Photograph: Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images Lisandro Martínez and Casemiro celebrate after winning the League Cup final. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Does he ever lose it? He has his moments, although he can’t speak to some players because he can’t really speak in English. As a leader, he knows when he has to be a little bit tough and when he has to be more composed.” In his modest way, Casemiro deflects a question about how the wisdom gained from his quintet of European Cup triumphs might be drawn upon. “It’s true that when you’ve played in so many finals and lots of games and you’re 31 and have that experience, you try to pass on that experience, to instil calm,” he says. “It’s a very important game but we also know that it’s one you should enjoy – a final. But together with my teammates, we can share our experience. We’ve got David [de Gea], Bruno [Fernandes], Rafa [Varane] also who has won countless titles.” The club have already won a trophy and we’ve clinched third place in the Premier League and now we’re in this final,” Casemiro says. “So, whenever you talk about long-term projects, which this is, it’s normal for it to take time for a manager’s mentality, his philosophy to be taken on board, but I believe we’re more comfortable now.Of course, your morale drops and it’s boosted when you score six in victory [but] we beat them at home and as I’ve said, each game is completely different but losing in that way is tough for you. But, when you do lose like that, the most important game is the next one which you need to win and get three points from.” United are a different team without Casemiro. When he has been in the team, they have conceded 0.91 goals per game in the Premier League; when he has been absent that figure has shot up to 1.5. With an actual plan in place, United have enjoyed a progressive campaign under Ten Hag. The question now is how they build for next season.
What have so impressed the staff at United are Casemiro’s hunger and professionalism. Is he sated by his five Champions Leagues plus 13 other honours at Real, including three La Liga titles? Absolutely not. Casemiro wanted to take on a new challenge, feeling that his cycle at the Bernabéu was over, and it says plenty that he went for a total change in a new country with a different language and football culture. If a garlanded footballer who claimed five Champions Leagues at his previous club, Real Madrid, raised an eyebrow at his manager’s selection that day he is too professional to mention it. Instead, Casemiro talks loudest where it matters most: on the pitch, as in February’s Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle, heading the opener in a 2-0 triumph that secured Ten Hag the first trophy of his tenure and which, alongside a third-place finish, moves Casemiro to praise the manager’s impact in his opening season. In a first English campaign Casemiro has been sent off twice and suspended for eight matches, the only blemishes on a contribution that has been a prime factor in United’s success. After April’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa his post-game “debate” with Fernandes seemed heated. There had been similar scenes at the final whistle in the Carabao Cup victory. Perhaps predictably, Casemiro talks only glowingly of his relationship with his fellow speaker of Portuguese. Nor is he interested in complaints about the Manchester weather, reminding himself that his life now is far removed from the days when he was grateful just to have a roof over his head growing up in Sao Paulo.Casemiro scores for Manchester United against Reading in the FA Cup. He has four goals and five assists. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images Casemiro is such an important player, he’s been in big places and how you see him on the pitch is the way he is off it – just a really calm guy,” Fernandes says. “He doesn’t speak English really well yet but in the way of football, the way he can communicate with his teammates, he speaks really well. The Brazilian’s impact – on and off the field – has been nothing short of sensational. There are some fans who have likened it to that of Eric Cantona in 1992 and, if that is big talk, well, this is a club where that sort of thing is a part of it. Casemiro is one booking away from suspension in the Europa League, giving Erik ten Hag a headache ahead of Manchester United's first-leg tie against Real Betis.
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