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Chelsea legend Claude Makelele recently picked Manchester United's Casemiro as the better defensive midfielder than him.
Makelele is one of the icons of the game, especially after his five-year stint at Chelsea. The former France international made 217 appearances for the Blues, helping them win numerous trophies. He is so iconic that many refer to the defensive midfield role as the 'Makelele role' at times.
He was recently asked in a social media post by Goal to remain silent until he heard the name of a better defensive midfielder than him. Makelele remained silent on names like Roy Keane, and Gennaro Gattuso. He spoke when Casemiro's name came up, saying:
“Yes. Because he’s young, it’s a new generation. He reminds me of my generation.”
Casemiro made his name during his around 19-year stint at Real Madrid, having joined their B team from Sao Paulo in January 2013. He made 336 senior appearances for Los Blancos, winning five UEFA Champions League trophies, among other honors.
Casemiro then joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of £70 million. He helped them win the Carabao Cup and finish third in the Premier League.
He has, however, struggled with injuries this season, making just 20 appearances across competitions and contributing five goals and two assists.
Chelsea and Manchester United linked with Premier League manager
Chelsea and Manchester United have both struggled this season, leading to speculation about Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag's futures respectively.
The Blues are 11th in the Premier League table and lost in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool under Pochettino. They have, however, reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will host Leicester City.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are sixth in the league table and are set to host Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. They were eliminated from the Carabao Cup and finished at the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group.
As per Metro, both sides are looking at potential managerial changes and have identified Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi as a target. However, if they want to secure his services, they will have to pay £12 million to the Seagulls, with his contract expiring in 2026.
De Zerbi joined Brighton in September 2022 following Graham Potter's move to Chelsea. He helped the Seagulls qualify for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in history as they finished sixth in the league.
They are set to face Ajax in the Europa League quarter-finals and are ninth in the league.
