Casemiro has been the target of much criticism during Manchester United's poor start to the 2024/25 campaign but, like boss Erik ten Hag, the Brazilian midfielder received a timely boost on Saturday.
United's 3-0 defeat at Liverpool in September saw Casemiro in a particularly harsh light, with the former Real Madrid midfielder looking to overshadow the player who was once considered one of the best defensive midfielders in world football.
The decision to spend €70m (£58.95m/$76m) on the 30-year-old on a four-year contract in 2022 has often been labeled a wasteful decision that stop the modern era at United.
Casemiro might not have started Saturday's 2-1 win over Brentford had Manuel Ugarte returned from international duty with Uruguay fully fit, but he was alongside Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes in midfield.
This season's campaign has been guilty of losing the bee's talent Mikkel Damsgaard too often in the first half, but he has played tirelessly, sometimes getting in between the central defenders to help build play and even push forwards to join the attacks. These efforts were praised by the Stretford End supporters, who serenaded him: "Do do do do, Casemiro!" »
According to FutMob, Casemiro made 13 defensive moves before making way for Ugarte at the end of the match, more than any other player in the match. He also recovered four of his five fumbles and recovered the ball six times.
As with United generally, this was not a reputation-saving performance, but a much-needed boost. And Casemiro has the added boost of his club's strongest fans standing by him.
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