Wes Brown believes Casemiro has knocked Bruno Fernandes off his perch by becoming Manchester United's new talisman.
Casemiro, 30, joined United last summer after becoming a five-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid. The Brazil international has made a positive impact at Old Trafford, although he will miss United's next game against Premier League leaders Arsenal due to suspension after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace.
Fernandes, 28, is regarded by many critics as United's most important player following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in November. Yet club legend Brown believes Casemiro has become "the talisman for the team" and makes Erik ten Hag's side "quicker and better".
Brown was speaking with Marriott Bonvoy, the official hotel loyalty partner of United. The former defender said: "Casemiro has brought vision. Complete vision. And the players have begun to realise that and they can see the passes he is making.
"The wide players now are making runs and they know he’s more than capable of reaching them. [Christian] Eriksen is the same, with his little one-twos. Everything is quicker and better. Casemiro doesn’t wait, he just plays it and if he can do so first time, he will. There are times when he’s off balance but he’s still trying to get these balls through. It’s something we have missed.
"Bruno has done this over the past couple of years but now teams are unsure who to pick up. They can’t just target Bruno; they have to look at Casemiro as well. You can see the class coming out of him, from his first touch and his control. He’s become the talisman for the team."
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Casemiro won 18 trophies during his time at Real Madrid and will be hopeful of winning his first honour in England this season. The Red Devils are eight points behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race, although Ten Hag's side have played a game more.
The United boss has admitted they will miss Casemiro against Arsenal, but he remains confident. He said of the Brazilian: "He's a really important player for us and a reason we're in this position. But last time we beat Arsenal [3-1 in September] without Casemiro. We need to do again.
"We’re winning, controlling the game and an unlucky moment. We don’t have time to react. We have to take that and move on and make the best plan for Arsenal."
Winning the Premier League title will be difficult, but United are also competing in three other competitions. They will play relegation-candidates Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup later this month. Ten Hag's side are the favourites to win that tournament, with Newcastle and Southampton the other two semi-finalists.
In terms of the FA Cup, United have a relatively comfortable home tie against Championship side Reading in the fourth round. Their challenge in Europe is more daunting, however, as they face Barcelona in a Europa League play-off next month.
Wes Brown is bringing to life exclusive Manchester United experiences with Marriott Bonvoy. To bid on exclusive Marriott Bonvoy Moments' experiences such as Marriott Hotels Suite of Dreams and the Ultimate European Away trip go to moments.marriottbonvoy.com
