Suddenly, a Manchester United career which looked to on it’s deathbed a few weeks ago has air in it’s lungs again with Casemiro slowly but surely rediscovering his all-action best.
And, really, the Brazilian’s revival should not come as that much of a surprise.
The sacking of Erik ten Hag has seen Manchester United, under the interim charge of Ruud van Nistelrooy, already starting to address some of the baffling tactical flaws which served only to undermine Casemiro’s strengths and expose his weaknesses.
United legend Rio Ferdinand blamed Ten Hag for accelerating Casemiro’s decline last term, leaving the veteran battleaxe covering wide open spaces in the centre of the park and chasing shadows. With Van Nistelrooy closing the gaps, and introducing Manuel Ugarte to play alongside the 32-year-old, those Saudi Arabian calls are no longer ringing quite so loudly.
Because, with Ugarte putting out embers quicker than Fireman Sam after a litre of Red Bull, Casemiro has been given the freedom to do what he does best; drive forward, influence play at both ends, and indulge his ‘jogo bonito’ tendencies.
Casemiro raves about Manchester United newbie Manuel Ugarte
“I have a good connection with [Ugarte],” Casemiro told reporters after the Uruguayan’s ‘immense’ display helped Man United thrash Leicester City 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
“When one goes forward, the other covers, and vice versa. That is how it has to be – one compliments the other. I think the other games have been like this.
“I have a good a connection with him. He is a great person. He’s a good kind of person. Then, little by little, he is also showing that he is a national-team player from Uruguay, a team that has good players.
“He has total respect, not only mine, but from all the players. And, well, it is good for us to have good players, so we have a much better squad.”
Making only his third Premier League start against Leicester, Ugarte is one of those who should benefit the most from the appointment of Ruben Amorim.
Ugarte shone alongside Amorim at Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon, after all. And, as Leicester were vanquished at Old Trafford, no Man United player had been recorded making more tackles [eight] in a single top-flight match since records began.
Casemiro, meanwhile, is not the only one delighted to have Ugarte doing the dirty work at the base of Man United’s midfield.
Matthijs de Ligt opens up on Ugarte impact under Ruud van Nistelrooy
Matthijs de Ligt’s fine performances in a Red Devils shirt have been offset at times by a baffling set-up which left United’s backline exposed by the lack of cover ahead of them.
With Van Nistelrooy doing what Ten Hag never seemed interested in – giving Ugarte the chance to settle in the Premier League – suddenly De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez are finding a lot less on their plate.
“Manu played an amazing game,” De Ligt also said after that Leicester victory, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho scoring brilliant long-range strikes either side of a Victor Kristiansen own goal.
“That is so important [to have teammates helping out defensively] because then you know you can make a mistake and that someone else tries to cover it up. It makes you feel more confident. It makes you take a little bit more risk and, normally, risk gets rewarded.
“So yeah, I think that’s really important in this period. I see the spirit now in a team. That’s really nice, the will to win. It was really good, so hopefully, we can continue like that.”
Man United have now kept four clean sheets in the top-flight in the games in which De Ligt has played at least 45 minutes.
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