Manchester United midfielder Fred has revealed that he knew that Casemiro would be joining the club months before it was announced because he spoke with his Brazil team-mate long before the transfer.
Fred and Casemiro were already team-mates at international with Brazil and that has undoubtedly helped the former Real Madrid midfielder settle in Manchester, along with fellow new recruit Antony. Together they are bursting the myth about Brazilians at United.
While Fred has lost his place in the team under Erik ten Hag, Casemiro was signed to strengthen things in the middle and he has done exactly that. The five-time Champions League winner has brought stability to the base of United’s midfield and we are controlling games far better than we managed with the Fred and Scott McTominay partnership.
Expectations are high on Casemiro but it’s a relief to everyone that he is succeeding. This does not look like another failed transfer like Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was a stop-gap option that had lost his legs before leaving Bayern Munich.
According to Fred, Casemiro is having a big impact on and off the pitch at United. He also claims to have known about the transfer months before it was announced in the summer.
The United midfielder told TNT Sports (translated by Yahoo): “Everyone knows he is one of the best players there, who has won a lot at Real Madrid in recent years. So he’s a very experienced guy.
“On the pitch he’s a great player and off the pitch he has a huge amount of experience. So he’s a guy who adds a lot, both on and off the pitch. He adds a lot in the locker room. And it’s a pleasure to be able to play alongside him, these great players here at United.”
Casemiro came after United lost out on Frenkie de Jong
We know that United spent over 100 days chasing De Jong in the summer, but he decided to stay at Barcelona. The Dutch midfielder is nowhere near as combative as Casemiro and for that reason I’m more than satisfied with what we’ve got. In fact, I wouldn’t change it if we could do a swap for De Jong in the morning.
That doesn’t mean I don’t think United should revisit their pursuit for De Jong or an alternative midfielder in the future. Christian Eriksen has been another brilliant signing that doesn’t deserve to go under the radar.
