Casemiro delivered a man of the match performance for Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final to lead the team to a 2-0 win over Newcastle.
The Brazilian was named in the FIFPro XI a day later, attending a star studded awards ceremony in Paris, before being welcomed back by his impressed teammates.
He has impressed with his attitude and hunger for success, demonstrating he has not just come to United for a late career payday.
At 31, Casemiro still has plenty left to offer and Manchester United are suddenly the envy of the Premier League thanks to his consistently impressive performances, and he is making a few pundits eat their words too.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
‘So wrong’ over Casemiro, says pundit
Casemiro cost Manchester United a fee of £60 million back in August, and there were some who questioned his motivations.
One of these was former Tottenham and QPR manager Tim Sherwood, who has now admitted he was very wrong.
Speaking to The Kelly & Wrighty Show on Premier League Productions after Manchester United’s Carabao Cup win, Sherwood expressed his admiration for the five-times Champions League winner.
He said: “When first come, I thought he’s came to Man United to fill the till up. He’s done everything at Real Madrid he can’t possibly have the hunger.
“I was so wrong, so wrong. When that equaliser he scored at Stamford Bridge you saw the way he celebrated with Man United fans, from that moment onwards I knew this boy was the real deal.
“He’s incredible. He puts out fires, any sorts of danger he puts it out, but he can also play.”
Sherwood went on to add: “Someone coming in with that desire at his age, you have to take your hat off to him.”
There cannot be any doubters left at this point, and after his success at Real Madrid, there should not have been any in the first place.
But after watching Bastian Schweinsteiger rock up at Manchester United with a stunning CV and a shadow of his former self many years ago, it’s understandable why there are sometimes doubts about big name stars heading to Old Trafford in the latter stages of their careers.
The difference with Casemiro is he was a reigning Champions League winner and integral player for Brazil, and still young enough to have a good four or five years left in him at the top level.
We just hope he can continue playing like this as long as possible. Casemiro is playing a major role in helping to rejuvenate United, and at this rate, he will get a chance to star for the club in the Champions League next season too.
Predicted Manchester United lineup against West Ham United: Garnacho in for Rashford; Fred doubtful
Alejandro Garnacho will return, but Fred might not feature when Manchester United and West Ham United meet in the FA Cup fifth round.
Manchester United will aim to progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals when they welcome West Ham United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. And Erik ten Hag has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Luke Shaw and Fred are doubtful to start against West Ham after picking up knocks in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United. In addition, Anthony Martial (hip), Christian Eriksen (ankle), and Donny van de Beek remain on the sidelines.
During his pre-match press conference, ten Hag spoke about Fred and Shaw. But he could not ascertain whether either player would be fit to feature against West Ham. In addition, he ruled Martial out of the FA Cup tie.
He said, “Of course, yesterday [Monday], the players were still enthusiastic and they had to celebrate this momentum. But, yesterday, after we settled down, we get back to work. What we had to do was recovery and the ones who played less did a good training session. Anthony Martial is not available and Luke Shaw and Fred are questions for tomorrow [Wednesday].”
Elaborating on Martial’s absence and a possible timeline for his return, ten Hag said, “I hope but I won’t give a prospective [time], or an expectation about that. Let him do his work, as several times now, he has been back and he drops back too quickly.”
“We [have to] give him the time and I hope he is on board but first, in this moment, we are doing really well in this set-up. When he is available, we will have another option, a good option. Let’s give him the time and we will see when he is back. Then we will be happy because we have a quality option extra for the rest of the season.”
With Martial still unavailable, Wout Weghorst will likely start again as the central striker. But ten Hag might rotate his troops to keep the pivotal players fresh. So Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho should come in for Marcus Rashford and Antony on the flanks.
Bruno Fernandes might still retain his spot due to a lack of alternatives. But Casemiro will drop to the bench, with Scott McTominay replacing him. Meanwhile, Fred will likely make way for Marcel Sabitzer in the double pivot.
As for the defensive unit, ten Hag will unlikely take a chance with Shaw’s fitness. And Tyrell Malacia should start as the left-back. As for the right-back berth, Aaron Wan-Bissaka will come in for Diogo Dalot. Finally, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire should be the centre-backs, with Tom Heaton featuring between the sticks.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Heaton; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia; McTominay, Sabitzer; Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Weghorst
Source: unitedinfocus.com; thehardtackle.com
