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Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves praised the Red Devils' new signing Casemiro, labeling the Brazilian as a special player.
Casemiro joined United from Real Madrid this past summer for £63.3 million and has made 12 appearances across competitions.
He scored his first goal for the Red Devils, a vital injury-time equalizer in the Red Devils' 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 22 October.
Hargreaves spoke to Premier League Productions in the aftermath of United's draw with the Blues when he lauded the Brazilian.
He began by detailing what the former Real Madrid midfielder has brought to Manchester United:
“He’s brought everything – leadership, he’s won five Champions League’s he’s a special player and I think he’s good under pressure, and he helps United be better on the ball."
The former Bayern Munich midfielder touched on the calmness and defensive nous Casemiro has brought to the Red Devils' midfield:
“We think about United when they were getting results under Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) and even under Ten Hag at the start of the season against Arsenal and Liverpool they played on the counter."
He continued,
“Now with Casemiro in there, you can play it into him at all times and he’s brilliant defensively. I think he has so many attributes that go unnoticed and the header against Chelsea is the icing on the cake.
Hargreaves has admitted he has been surprised by the passing abilities of the Brazilian:
“The thing that has surprised me has been his passing – it’s been exceptional we know defensively he’s really good. Casemiro plays the ball forward – Fred and McTominay were good players, but they didn’t play forward in some of the crucial moments."
The Englishman wrapped up his analysis of Casemiro by deeming him one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League:
“He’s been what we anticipated in terms of defensively winning the ball, one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, and he’s won five Champions League’s – there’s a reason for that because this guy is so reliable.”
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo keen on returning to Serie A
Casemiro reunited with his former Madrid teammate Ronaldo by joining Manchester United this past summer.
However, their reunion may be cut short as speculation grows over Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese forward has made 12 appearances this season, scoring two goals.
However, he has started only six of those games and sat out Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea after being dropped.
He was punished for storming down the tunnel as an unused substitute in the 89th minute of the Red Devils' 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 19 October.
Reports claim that the veteran striker is looking to leave Old Trafford and would be open to returning to Serie A.
Napoli are a side reportedly showing an interest in the Portuguese forward whose current deal with United runs until next summer.
He does have the option to extend for a further year.
