Manchester United needed something special to get the Ruud van Nistelrooy era off to a flying start.
Casemiro provided it with an absolute rocket, a goal good enough to grace any game, befitting more than just a fourth round cup tie.
The Brazilian scored another goal at the end of the first half and tried his best to complete a hat-trick in the second half, eventually having to settle with just a brace.
Manchester United won the game 5-2, setting up a Carabao Cup quarter-final away at Tottenham Hotspur.
Casemiro praised
Casemiro was applauded by Manchester United fans at full-time as he walked off the pitch after leading United to the win.
MUTV pundit Danny Simpson explained that the fans were offering encouragement because they know what he is capable of, and what supporters want to see more of.
“They were saying well done for coming back from some the performances we’ve seen this year, we know you can play that.
“And we want to see him play like that even more. We want to see him scoring goals, shooting. He had a little energy tonight.”
Casemiro and Ugarte partnership
Simpson added that he felt the key to Casemiro’s performance could have been his new teammate Manuel Ugarte.
He explained: “He was getting up and down, whether that’s because of Ugarte, maybe doing a bit more sitting behind, but he looked like he was going forward more tonight, and which was good to see as well. He looked really fit.”
This was just the second time Ugarte and Casemiro have started together in midfield.
The previous game was in the previous round, the 7-0 win over Barnsley.
If that could be discounted because it was just against League One opponent, then this win should have a little more weight, against Premier League opposition, albeit a weakened Leicester team.
At the very least, Casemiro and Ugarte together are worth a further look, especially while Kobbie Mainoo remains out of action.
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