There were concerns regarding Casemiro’s motives when he first joined Manchester United. When he was 30 years old, he had accomplished everything at Real Madrid, and there were claims that this was all financial in nature.
In their first two games, United had just lost 2-1 to Brighton at home and 4-0 to Brentford. Towards the end of August, before a crucial Premier League match against bitter rivals Liverpool, United introduced their newest mega-signing.
After nine years, five Champions League medals, and three La Liga championships, Casemiro had just given Real Madrid a heartbreaking farewell. In his dying hours in Spain, he felt compelled to address the criticism, saying: “If it was about money I would have left four or five years ago. The people who think that are wrong, they don’t know me at all.”
Casemiro has dissuaded his critics and established himself as a need. There is a case to be made that Marcus Rashford, Man Utd’s leading scorer, is the only other player who could legitimately challenge the midfielder from Brazil for the team’s top spot.
Casemiro has exceeded expectations in every way. The 31-year-old no longer serves as the center of stability in a midfield triangle that also contains pass-masters Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, but he is now free to demonstrate his skill with the ball. With five goals and five assists so far this season, Casemiro is actually on track to have his most productive goal-contribution season yet.
Yet, Casemiro is most useful in defense. He leads United in tackles, possession in the middle third, won fouls, and duels won per 90, according to the statistics. Although his goal against Newcastle helped him win player-of-the-match honors, it was his impact in preventing the Magpies from scoring that distinguished him. Few people have Casemiro’s sense of danger. He is always aware of his location.