Former Manchester United centre-back Mikael Silvestre is backing Casemiro to show a more adventurous side to his game following his summer move to Old Trafford.
After giving up on their long-term pursuit of Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong, United identified Casemiro as their ideal alternative to strengthen their midfield options during the summer transfer window. They signed the Brazilian midfielder on an initial four-year contract in a deal that could eventually be worth up to £70million, bringing his nine-year stay at Real Madrid to an end.
Considering United had chased De Jong, who is a progressive, forward-thinking midfielder for so long, their decision to swoop for Casemiro saw them go from one end of the midfield spectrum to the other. The two players could not be more different in relation to their respective qualities.
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United, though, needed to sign a world-class defensive-midfielder after a disastrous 2021/22 campaign. Casemiro fitted that criteria and their decision to sign him was applauded by the fans, even if doubts were cast about the price they had paid for a player who had already turned 30.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian has quickly banished any doubts any United supporters had, making a telling impact at Old Trafford. He has become a stalwart in manager Erik ten Hag's plans and his performances have earned rave reviews.
But although his primary responsibility is to sit deep and protect the Reds' rearguard, he has shown his ability to kick-start attacks, not least with his impressive range of passing credentials. And for former Reds ace Silvestre, the Brazilian has the potential to become more attack-minded in M16.
"When he was at Real Madrid he had so many good players around him and he was kind of sacrificing himself to be the defensive anchor," Silvestre told bettingexpert.
"I think he will be allowed to be more attacking in his way of playing in Man United. He has the ability to do it, and I would love to see him more around the opponents box.
"He has done it multiple times for his country and I believe that he can do it for Man United as well."
Casemiro, who will be looking to help Brazil progress to the semi-finals of the World Cup when they face Croatia on Friday afternoon, has, to date, scored once for United since arriving during the summer. He netted a dramatic equaliser to earn the Reds a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October.
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