Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United found out what Casemiro will bring to the fold following his first Premier League start in Sunday night's 2-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
The Brazilian international was preferred to Scott McTominay in the defensive-midfield berth, retaining his place from Thursday night's 3-2 win over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League. McTominay had started every Premier League game since Casemiro's arrival.
The 30-year-old produced an up-and-down performance, featuring both good and bad moments. He was guilty of losing possession in the build-up to Alex Iwobi's fifthminute opener for the hosts but grew into the game as it developed.
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He took up good positions when trying to wrestle back possession for his team and played a formidable role in creating United's winner. He won the ball back inside his own half, seconds after misplacing a pass, and split the Everton defence wide open, sending Cristiano Ronaldo scampering free to net the 700th goal of his club career.
Although there were other moments where he was wasteful with the ball at his feet, he made up for it by shielding the defence and stopping Everton's runners from making forward runs. And for Ferdinand, it was his presence out of possession that was the most pleasing aspect of his full Premier League debut.
"I think Casemiro plays in any game in this country," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "Like the manager said, he is somebody who has the experience, he's won multiple Champions Leagues - five to be precise. He has the experience and understands football. Although it's a different stadium and environment, he will get used to it and adapt quickly because he's intelligent; you don't play at those levels without having a level of intelligence.
"Yes, he started poorly and he gave the ball away for the goal but, as his manager said, he grew into the game. If you had a highlights reel on his performance today with him on the ball, you'd be saying he shouldn't be playing, maybe. Without the ball, the positions that he took up, the way that he regained possession and didn't allow players to play the ball forward into dangerous areas, that is what you need in your team if you're to have any stability. I'm not too concerned with him on the ball, he will give it to the players who are there to create.
"That has been his game in his whole career and he is there to plug gaps and plug spaces. For me, as a centre-back, in a game like this or any type of game in this league, you need someone in front of you who knows how to marshal that space in front to not give away opportunities. He's the only midfield player in this whole squad who knows how to defend instinctively. It's the best part of their make up and the best part of their game."
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