Federico Valverde picks out Manchester United star as his ‘weapon’ to stopping Lionel Messi

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Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has had a tough start to the campaign and many fear his best days are behind him. And that’s fair, with five Champions League medals in the bag, how much better can it actually get for him from here?

Manchester United simply hope that there is enough left in the Casemiro tank for the midfielder to return as a valuable contributor, for this season, and the remainder of the four year contract he signed in 2022.

There are claims United could seek to cash in on Casemiro, via TalkSPORT, following on from suggestions incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe felt his salary was poor value for money, considering he is now 31.

Well if that is the case, United won’t be short of suitors due to his huge reputation, with one former Real Madrid teammate talking him up this week.

Federico Valverde on Casemiro

There are a couple of big games brewing in South America’s World Cup qualifying rounds this week, when Uruguay take on Argentina, and then Brazil take on Argentina too.

Facundo Pellistri will be the sole Manchester United representative in these matches, with Alejandro Garnacho and Antony not selected for their countries, while Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro are out with injuries.

Brazil will wish they had national team captain available for their clash, and another who sorely wishes he had him on his side too, is Uruguay star Federico Valverde.

Valverde was quoted by Esporte in the lead-up to their game with Argentina, asked if he knew a secret to stopping Lionel Messi.

He responded: “I don’t know how to stop Messi, I’ve never been able to stop him. I had many matches against him when I played at Barcelona and Casemiro was a weapon to beat him, but not always.”

It’s true, no player can ‘always’ beat Lionel Messi, he’s too good, but Casemiro and Real won their fair share of El Clasico encounters through the years, before the Argentine headed to PSG and the Brazilian moved to Manchester United.

Fresh start for Casemiro expected in 2024

There could be a case to cash in on Casemiro if a big offer was received from the Saudi Pro League, and we would at least expect some enquiries in January.

But letting him leave mid-season could create as much issues as it solves, and the Brazilian’s international reputation will remain strong heading into the summer, so Manchester United would be advised to let the situation play out until then.

Part of the issue for Casemiro has been the lack of a break. He went from winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2022 into a full season with Manchester United, mixed in with the World Cup, and then into this season amid a packed pre-season schedule.

Now with an injury to deal with, a break for the midfielder is an unexpectedly positive consequence, and we could see a fully refreshed Casemiro when he returns to action in early 2024. The one who was once a Lionel Messi defeating powerhouse.