Paul Scholes insists Casemiro is "as close to Roy Keane as I have seen" in his latest glowing review of the Manchester United midfielder.
Erik ten Hag broke the bank to sign the Brazil international, 30, from Real Madrid last summer despite his advancing years. United paid £60million up front for him, with a further £10m due in add-ons, and the transfer has proved to be money well spent.
Casemiro has added steel and quality to United's midfield, which was arguably their weakest department under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. The player is helping the 13-time Premier League champions compete for silverware again.
"You can see the big difference when he’s not in the team," Scholes said of the former Real Madrid enforcer ahead of United's game at Barcelona on Thursday. "You think of the Arsenal game when he wasn’t there, I always talk about having a coach on the football pitch, and for Ten Hag, he’s that man.
"He knows where he wants everyone to be. I’ve said this before, a lot of us have been surprised by the quality of his play because at Madrid it was about [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric, but his passes forward, his awareness of people around him, he’s been fantastic.
"People say he’s a holding midfield player - I don’t see that. I think he does everything. He’s as close to Roy Keane as I have seen. As a Man United midfield player, you should be involved with everything. You should be able to go forward, you should be able to play a pass and help defend. I think he’s been fantastic."
How important is Casemiro to Erik ten Hag's Manchester United side? Let us know in the comments below!
Scholes' comparison speaks volumes. Keane is one of United's greatest ever midfielders after playing 480 games for the club between 1993 and 2005. He won countless honours at Old Trafford, including seven Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Keane filled the void left by United legend Bryan Robson during the early '90s and succeeded the iconic Eric Cantona as captain in the summer of 1997. Most players would struggle to do either of those things, but Keane was no ordinary player.
That being said, Casemiro is also no mug. The experienced midfielder has won three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues and the Copa America during his successful career. He will be hoping to win silverware in England, with United competing on four fronts.
Ten Hag's side are third in the Premier League table - five points behind leaders Manchester City - and are going strong in the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup. They will face Newcastle in the final of the latter competition on Sunday, February 26.
Owen Hargreaves added: "If you could pick one out of the eleven - I know football is such a team game - but this guy [Casemiro] makes everybody better.
"He makes the defence better, takes pressure off David de Gea, I think the midfield also in the past got a bit of criticism, but with him and [Christian] Eriksen with Bruno [Fernandes] alongside them, that becomes the strength of the side. I know Eriksen is out today [against Barcelona on Thursday], which is a big miss, Fred slots in, but Casemiro is just the guy that makes everybody better."
