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- Casemiro joined Man Utd from Real Madrid
- Has established himself as a key figure under Ten Hag
- Neville hails the Brazilian's impact
WHAT HAPPENED? Since moving to Old Trafford, following a £70 million switch from Real Madrid, the defensive midfielder has gradually grown in stature and is now regarded as an indisputable starter in Erik ten Hag's system. In the recent encounter against Bournemouth, Casemiro produced an acrobatic finishto fire Manchester United to three points and put his team on the brink of Champions League qualification. It has been notable that United function smoothly with Casemiro in the centre of the park, whereas in his absence, his experience and destructive qualities that aid the team at both ends of the pitch are sorely missed.
WHAT THEY SAID: Casemiro's influence was hailed by Neville during Sky Sports'Monday Night Football end-of-season awards for the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, where he picked him as the best signing.
"I could not think of a player who has had a bigger impact on their team. I look at United's season, they are in the top four, they won the Carabao Cup and they are in the FA Cup final. I genuinely don't think they would be anywhere near top four or doing what they are doing in those competitions without Casemiro. He makes them 30 per cent better," the United legend stated.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Meanwhile, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was forced to eat his words on Lisandro Martinez, as he claimed in the early stages of the season that the Argentine had too small a stature to play as a centre-back in the Premier League. However, the defender has emerged as a key player for Manchester United and formed an excellent relationship with Raphael Varane in the heart of the Red Devils' backline, which has made Carragher change his opinion.
"Any centre-half coming to the Premier League who is under six foot, you are thinking they are going to have a problem but he hasn't. Every player has weaknesses, but the best players hide their weaknesses. How can you overcome that? I wasn't the biggest centre-half and I was worried I was going to get bullied. I thought he was smaller than me," Carragher said. "But when you are talking about the role of Casemiro, I think there is a massive drop off when Lisandro Martinez is not in the Manchester United team. Defensively but also his ability on the ball in terms of playing out from the back. He is a warrior, he is a leader, and when you think of that spine, he and Casemiro have made a big difference. So I apologise to Lisandro Martinez. Manchester United fans please stop tweeting me!"
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Manchester United will be back in action on Thursday in the Premier League against Chelsea at Old Trafford.