Manchester United new boy Casemiro came face-to-face with Roy Keane on the Old Trafford pitch shortly after his £60million switch from Real Madrid was confirmed earlier this week.
The fiery Irishman was the midfield enforcer in some of the iconic United teams of the past and he will know better than most what Casemiro - a five-time Champions League winner with Los Blancos - needs to bring to Erik ten Hag's beleaguered squad as they bid to climb up the table.
But when it comes to Keane's verdict on who could - or rather who shouldn't - be playing alongside the former Real star for Manchester United, Casemiro has already made it clear that he has a different opinion.
Keane has been one of the biggest critics of Fred, who was culled by Ten Hag for Monday night's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the wake of his underwhelming start to the season.
The former United captain has long insisted that Fred and his usual midfielder partner, Scott McTominay, are not good enough to play for Manchester United - a point he once again stressed in the wake of the club's opening day defeat against Brighton.
Speaking after the match, Keane said: “The decision-making and the football intelligence, in particular from Fred – and I’ve said this for a long time – Fred and McTominay are not good enough. They won’t get Manchester United back competing at the top. We see it week in, week out. [They are] not up to it."
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But Casemiro, who often partners Fred in midfield for the Brazilian national team, has launched a staunch defence of the 29-year-old and insisted that he can thrive alongside the much-maligned ace.
While discussing his special relationship with Fred in an interview with Manchester United's official website, Casemiro said: “Well, Fred has a lot of qualities. I think he's a player that has good movement. He's very mobile, passes the ball well, he has a good shot on him, he can play with both feet, left or right, he can pass the ball well with either foot. He's a great player.
"Again, that's why he plays for the Brazil and he's a very important player at this club and I think he'll help me a great deal as he's Brazilian. I think he'll help me a lot at the club and without doubt it's important for me to have another Brazilian here, too.”
Although Fred has struggled to live up to expectations since joining the club from Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2017, he was one of United's more consistent performers last term - and Ten Hag will be hopeful that Casemiro's arrival can be the catalyst for Fred to improve again this year.
