Manchester United have made an extremely exciting new signing in Casemiro, and on Saturday afternoon he made his debut for the club.
Five time Champions League winning midfielder Casemiro is a Red Devil, and he solidified that in his first appearance for the club off the bench against Southampton.
Manchester United triumphed 1-0 on the South coast, winning their first away fixture in six months and keeping their first clean sheet in almost four.
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The win will have a huge impact on the side going forwards, and based on his quality, career so far and 10 minute cameo so will United’s new midfielder.
Casemiro was only on the pitch a short period of time, but made some crucial defensive interventions and communicated excellently with his teammates - the fact that seven of the teammates he shared the pitch with speak at least one of Spanish or Portuguese was helpful.
Speaking after the game, Erik ten Hag explained why he thought that the short cameo was beneficial for the Brazilian.
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"It was quite good for him to see the Premier League, it’s a different style. He has now a pre-season, he has played some games, he played one time 90 minutes, he is fit," said Ten Hag.
The Dutchman also explained why he did not play him from the off, citing his integration into the side as the main reason why.
"He had a good pre-season with a lot of training sessions, we have to integrate him in a team and a way of playing and integrate him with his teammates."
Ten Hag was also impressed with the collective performance of his side defensively in the game, something that Casemiro was brought in to reinforce and undoubtedly will do so.
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"I think we defend as a team, I was quite happy with most of it, I saw room for improvement, the back four was a real unit with David de Gea, togetherness, but also the two in front, Scott [McTominay] and [Christian] Eriksen, did that really well. It’s a team performance."
Despite only being subbed on in the 80th minute, Casemiro made one tackle, one block, one clearance (a key one) and two recoveries. He also won three of his four aerial duels.
There was also one moment where towards the end of the game, the Saints had a big chance from a set piece.
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The ball was only cleared as far as Lyanco, who had it in the box in a promising position. First to close him down was Casemiro, who completely inhibited what would have been an extremely dangerous chance.
His intensity when defending is near unmatched by any other player in his position and this is something particularly important to Ten Hag, with his high-pressing style.
Manchester United’s next fixture comes against Leicester on Thursday, and just four days after that they play bitter rivals Arsenal.
These are both difficult games even as standalones, but four days apart makes them that extra bit more difficult, and we can expect to see Casemiro start in one of if not both of these games.
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His presence in the starting line-up will be a welcome addition to United who look to continue their revival after a tough opening two games.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Leicester City, Southampton, Casemiro, Premier League, Football