Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves both believe that Casemiro is Manchester United's most important midfielder and should start every game going forward.
United defeated Tottenham 2-0 on Wednesday night in a galvanising performance, the best of Erik ten Hag's reign by some distance. A dominant display saw them create enough chances to win five matches but they eventually got the all-important goals through a deflected Fred effort and a stunning Bruno Fernandes strike.
It has been a whirlwind week for Fred who was dreadful against Newcastle and missed a sitter to win the game but put in a Player of the Match display against Spurs thanks to his explorative passing and high energy as well as his opening goal. The 29-year-old looked right at home next to his international teammate Casemiro and, while believing Fred deserves credit, Owen says it's the former Real Madrid man who helped the midfield tick.
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"It'd be hard for anybody that's half-decent not to be able to play alongside Casemiro," he told Premier League Productions. "He just reads the game so well, he must be a joy to play with. That experience, that know-how, that winning mentality that he's got.
"Fred, lots of people can ridicule him, lots of people can say he's been indifferent in a Manchester United shirt but he has got a place in this squad. He can show at times some good play and obviously Ten Hag fancies him at the moment.
"I think Casemiro is here to say, whether it's [Scott] McTominay or Fred [alongside him] but I think he likes that formation with two sitting players. Then they've got so much attacking ability as we touched on with all the shots they had today on goal, they don't necessarily need any more potency coming from midfield. They're creating enough already."
Hargreaves agrees that Casemiro needs to be a mainstay in midfield and thinks United will have a solid spine with him alongside Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and David de Gea. He added: "I think Casemiro is the one that's going to come and stay. I think he's going to play all the time.
"Martinez and Varane, Casemiro in front with De Gea, them four together seems like a really solid block. If they can keep clean sheets the attacking players are there.
"I know [Cristiano] Ronaldo didn't start, didn't come off the bench and wasn't happy about it but the point is the team looked really settled today. Defensively, in possession and attacking side. That bodes well and I think Casemiro... he's going to play, that's a fact. He just looks such a natural there. When you've won five Champions Leagues you've probably the right to start every game, don't you?"
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