04 March 2023 , 22:30
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has paid tribute to Brazilian midfielder Casemiro for bringing a winning mentality back to Old Trafford.
Claims that the 31-year-old midfielder was only interested in a final big-money pay-day when he arrived from Real Madrid for £60million last summer have been blown apart by the way he has become a leader for Ten Hag. Casemiro lifted the Champions League five times during his nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu and has already helped United end their six-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup.
And Ten Hag said: “I knew what a magnificent player Casemiro was - just look at his profile and all the cups he’s won, that’s not a coincidence.
“For me, it’s always the same, you have players who win and who always win, and players who lose and are always losing. You have to do your research and find the type who will win and who are cooperative in the dressing room, who are humble, but when they are on the pitch, they take responsibility.
“I can sit on the bench and be composed because I know the players will do the job and will deal with the situation and bring you the wins. When we were recruiting in the summer, we were looking for players with character, with personality.
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“It was not only about signing good players. A lot of players in the world have great skills from a technical approach or they can run really fast.
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Casemiro has been integral for Man Utd's return to a winning mentality (AFP via Getty Images)“But we were looking for players who have character, who have personality, who have leadership, take responsibility, who are resilient. That is the type of player I was looking for after I analysed the squad.”
Casemiro has brought class and composure to United’s midfield - but also a desire to do the right things. He lambasted captain Bruno Fernandes at the end of last week’s Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle because the Portuguese midfielder took an added-time shot rather than set up Jadon Sancho for an easy finish.
Ten Hag said: “We were winning a trophy and we were happy, but the players have to have the approach that being good isn’t good enough. It was 2-0 but we could have won 3-0 if we made better decisions and (the row) was about that.
“I think it’s good that players tell each other about their responsibilities and set high standards and high demands to each other and control them.
“Sometimes you need a correction or a discussion so that a player is aware of his responsibilities. Casemiro in this team is such a leader and so important for us.
“Not only with his performances and skills - like scoring goals with his headers or linking up or intercepting balls - but his organisation, his mentality, the culture. We are so happy that we signed him.”