Erik ten Hag explains impact of 'magnificent' Casemiro at Man Utd
By Tom Gott
Erik ten Hag has hailed summer signing Casemiro for raising the level of the entire Manchester United squad.
Casemiro was a surprise arrival at Old Trafford late in the summer window, with the Red Devils shifting their focus from Frenkie de Jong after failing to land their primary target.
The Brazil international was allowed to leave Real following their £100m acquisition of Aurelien Tchouameni and United wasted little time in taking advantage of that, spending a cool £70m to recruit one of the best defensive midfielders of the past decade.
Since moving to United, Casemiro has been integral to the team's impressive form and Ten Hag was quick to thank Real for deciding to sell the 30-year-old in the first place.
"I am happy they did!" Ten Hag said of Real's decision to sell. "But you see also at the World Cup he is a magnificent player. My analysis before the season was we needed that 6 position and he is fulfilling that position.
"In pre-season, we had a lot of discussions but you need the right player and we definitely have the right player. I am really happy for Manchester United, for this team to have him because he is really raising the limits for Manchester United."
Casemiro has lined up at the base of United's midfield either alone or alongside another summer arrival, Christian Eriksen. The Dane, also 30, has impressed as well but there is an acceptance that United will need to rejuvenate their midfield in the near future.
Talks have been held with Benfica over Enzo Fernandez, who is currently the subject of serious interest from Chelsea, while De Jong and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham continue to be linked.