Erik ten Hag has hailed the “brilliant” Casemiro in what appears to be a subtle message over Manchester United ’s failed move for Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils spent large swaths of the summer chasing the Dutch midfielder with Ten Hag keen to be reunited with his former Ajax custodian. United even agreed a fee with Barcelona for De Jong but the midfielder himself was not convinced of a move to Old Trafford and instead preferred to stay at the Camp Nou to play Champions League football.
In the aftermath of a failed move, the Red Devils moved onto alternative targets and eventually sealed a swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, with the Brazilian arriving at Old Trafford for a fee of up to £70m including bonuses.
The 30-year-old endured a slow start to life with his new club having started none of his opening four Premier League games. Since then however, the midfielder has been key to an impressive run of form that has seen Ten Hag’s men close-in on a place in the top four.
Casemiro netted a crucial equaliser against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before his experience and composure came in handy as the Red Devils saw out their slender 1-0 win against West Ham United at the weekend.
Ten Hag was full of praise for Casemiro in the aftermath of victory and suggested that his quality could never be doubted with potentially more expected of him going forwards.
Did Man Utd make the right decision in signing Casemiro instead of Frenkie de Jong? Share your thoughts in the comments below
The Dutchman said: “For me he’s [Casemiro] brilliant. You can see why he’s won five Champions League trophies, at the top for that long in world football and you can see every match, every training and I think he will only be better and better and contribute more to the team.”
Casemiro's current fortunes are, ironically, the complete opposite to that of former United target De Jong.
The 25-year-old has fallen somewhat down the pecking order with Barcelona so far this season having started just nine out of a possible 17 matches in all competitions. His only goal came in a 4-0 thumping of Cadiz back in September.
Whilst the Dutchman’s playing time has been limited this term, he has also seen the main reasons behind rejecting a move to United falter. Barcelona were of course eliminated from the Champions League for the second consecutive season at the group stage having won just one of their opening five matches.
The Spanish giants now drop into the Europa League and face a playoff against one of the second-placed teams in the competition. One of those could potentially be United with the Red Devils currently behind Real Sociedad heading into the final matchday this week.
Ten Hag’s men must win by two goals or more in Spain on Thursday evening to finish top of their group. Should they fail to do that, then De Jong could potentially be taking to the pitch at Old Trafford after the World Cup but instead will be donning the blue and red of Barcelona - should he actually start that is.
