Toby Collyer reveals he took plenty of inspiration from Casemiro, despite briefly overtaking the Brazilian veteran in Manchester United’s midfield pecking order.
Toby Collyer was loaned out to a Championship club by Manchester United for the second time this season. Sadly, the first spell at West Brom was hindered by injuries.
Collyer has had his setbacks at Hull City, but he has also shown promise, with an impressive performance against Championship champions Coventry City. Now, he is hopeful of helping Sergej Jakirovic’s side achieve Premier League promotion by going all the way in the play-offs.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who has made 13 senior appearances for United, will be looking to take what he learned from playing with Casemiro to guide Hull City into the play-off final at least.
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Toby Collyer inspired by Casemiro
In an interview with Andy Mitten for The Athletic, Collyer comes across level-headed, and he’s willing to learn from the players around him to become a better footballer.
The injury setbacks have undoubtedly been a hindrance to his development, and United would have liked it if he had gained more senior minutes at West Brom and Hull City because it’s not a matter of ability.
Hull City are keen to extend their loan deal with Collyer, which could be an interesting opportunity if they clinch promotion.
When asked to name what players stood out to him at United, Collyer started by hailing Bruno Fernandes, who is fittingly in contention to win the Premier League Player of the Year award.
On top of that, Collyer revealed that Casemiro was his role model. The Brazilian was the player he took inspiration from as a role model because they’re both midfielders.
“In terms of ability, Bruno (Fernandes),” Collyer said.
“Some of the stuff he does in training would have me thinking, ‘That’s not normal, I don’t understand it’. Obviously, he’s clever, but he does turns where he just finds a pass out of nowhere. It’s incredible.
“Casemiro was a big role model too, a player I looked up to. These past four years, being around him, just watching him and seeing the little things he does. First into training, ultra professional. He’s always observing. People say he’s a warrior off the ball because he reads the game so well, but on the ball he’s exceptional as well with that one-touch around-the-corner pass. He leads by example.”
Much to the sadness of many matchgoing United fans, who yet again sang about wanting Casemiro to stay at Old Trafford for another year on Sunday, the club are not planning a U-turn on a decision they made in January.
Casemiro’s contract expires in June, and he has been strongly linked with a move to Inter Miami, where he could link up with Lionel Messi.
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Toby Collyer briefly took Casemiro’s place at Man Utd
There was a time at United when Collyer was ahead of Casemiro in the pecking order.
Ruben Amorim was the head coach and wasn’t convinced by Casemiro.
Collyer reflects on overtaking Casemiro at United for a brief period and how the Brazilian kept training hard and helped the academy graduate.
This is why Collyer still looks up to Casemiro as a professional.
He added: “Casemiro has been there and done it. When Ruben (Amorim) first came in, he wasn’t having him one bit. I was playing over Caza.
“I was just focused on my football. I was still obviously speaking to Caza in training. He was still helping me. His English has got a lot better. He was still training very well, and I think he’s a great example because people on the outside don’t see that.
“When he’s not playing, it’s easy for people to think, ‘Oh, he’s probably not doing well in training’. But he wasn’t. He was giving everything every day.”
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