Casemiro requests dossier of information on referees, he is meticulous

Casemiro's meticiulous pre-match preparation includes asking for a detailed dossier on the referee before every game he's involved in.

The 30-year-old midfielder is expected to make his Manchester United debut against Southampton this weekend after he was granted a work permit following his £70 million move from Real Madrid.

Andy Madley, who has officiated 48 top flight games since 2019, will take charge of the Premier League encounter at St Mary's on Saturday – a piece of information that has likely been relayed to Casemiro already.

The Brazilian midfielder is known to request information about officials prior to game day, according to close friend and former teammate Bruno dos Anjos.

Before kick-off, Casemiro wants to know the official's reputation, how he prefers to be called, his place of birth, whether he has another job and his style of match management.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Dos Anjos explained the reasons behind his careful planning.

"He plays in a role where you talk a lot to the referees and are more likely to receive a card," he said.

"So it’s important that they understand what he says and that he’s able to argue with them if necessary as well. It may be helpful in certain situations."

Don Anjos also speaks about Casemiro's ambitions to learn English, although the Brazilian apologised in his first interview with Manchester United this week for not speaking the language.

In a chat with journalist Andy Mitten for the club's website, the midfielder was pressed on the language barrier.

“Yes, my wife speaks English. I have a seven-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son. So they speak a bit better English than me," he said.

"I'm truly sorry to you and all of the United fans that I don't speak English, but I want to study.

"I want to learn as soon as possible so that I can learn about English culture, to learn English and speak to my friends, my team-mates, all the club staff and I want to show them I'm one of them.”

In the same interview, the five-time Champions League winner was asked if he was excited about playing in England's top flight.

It's interesting to note that he mentions referees in his answer.

"The Premier League is a dream to play in. It's a wonderful league," he said.

"The respect that fans have for players, the players have for fans, the players with the referees, the referees with the players, the passion of the clubs… when go from the airport to the city, you feel that the city has football in the air and I think that stadium also speaks for itself."