When Man City players lifted the British Super Cup title at Wembley, Casemiro standing on the other side of the touchline looked annoyed and a bit bitter. It was also a competition with Man City, but in May, when Man United won against their city rival in the FA Cup final, Casemiro and Erik ten Hag appeared cold. That day, the "Red Devils" won but the Brazilian midfielder's contribution was almost non-existent.
Last season there were many times when Casemiro was no longer trusted and his replacement was Sofyan Amrabat. There were times when boredom and a bit of dissatisfaction with Ten Hag led to some blasphemous statements from the 32-year-old midfielder. Casemiro once said he liked the coaching style of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane in the context that he was no longer an inviolable factor in the MU midfield like in his first season.
Since then, rumors about the future with this veteran midfielder began to appear. However, no contracts were signed with Saudi Arabian clubs. Casemiro actively refused and was determined to do it all again in a Man United shirt. It is this professionalism from Casemiro that Ten Hag highly appreciates. In the final match of the friendly series in the US against Liverpool, the former Real Madrid star played the full 90 minutes. A week later, he also played from start to finish against Man City in the English Super Cup.
Faced with the prospect of Pep Guardiola fielding a series of young midfielders with speed and agility, Casemiro still tried to stick around and create pressure in duels. Although his physical strength is not the same as it was two years ago, Casemiro actively participates in the attack with Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford. If Rashford's break puts the ball on target, the person with the greatest contribution in that situation must be Casemiro with his very smart rotation from bottom up.
In the second half, with Jeremy Doku's incredible penetrating power on the wing, Casemiro was the one assigned to support Diogo Dalot's defense. Although he was sweating to block his opponent's dangerous detonator, Casemiro completed the task almost completely. Being flanked and crossed by the opponent at speed, there were situations where it seemed like he had lost his footing, but Casemiro still stood firm to stop him, then fell to the ground. That is the great energy of a person who won the Champions League 5 times.
Professionally, Erik ten Hag denied that because of the 4-2-4 layout, Casemiro could play well. The Dutch teacher said that it is the hard work on the training ground that has helped this aging star maintain his physical strength to continue playing at the top level in England.
"This is the first time he has had a long training period before entering the first match of the season. We have created many conditions for Casemiro to feel more comfortable. He is truly a top player.
When watching Casemiro play on the field, everyone can see how important he is in the Manchester United team" - Ten Hag shared.
Talking about Casemiro 's possibility of leaving the team , Ten Hag said the coaching staff is very satisfied and shows no signs of a breakup.
Casemiro is receiving a salary of £300,000/week at Old Trafford. That is a very high salary, worthy of the world's top players. He is proving that he is not someone who "sits around and eats a bowl of gold". With the dignity of the five Champions League titles he has ever had, Casemiro's determination to start over shows welcome professionalism.
