After a great debut season for Manchester United, injuries and suspensions slowed the Brazilian down, and last season it looked impossible for him to stay at the club beyond the summer. With him strongly linked with moves to Saudi Arabia, you’d have struggled to find many fans advocating for him to stay.
But he has been a revelation this season, with the team conceding just three goals while he has been on the pitch compared to 13 without him.
Speaking to the press ahead of this weekend’s game against Nottingham Forest, Ruben Amorim has revealed he’s told his squad that Casemiro should be an inspiration to all of them and that they all have the same opportunity to earn their place in the team.
Around the training ground, the mood seems so much brighter than it was. First of all, they understand, I prove that anyone can play, and everyone has to do the same things, not in the same way, but there are some things that everyone, no matter what is your name, you have to do it to play for Manchester United. And that can help to manage. I try to explain all the time to the players that we are not just playing today, not just this year, but then the next seasons. So they feel that they are part of the journey, and that we are part of something more bigger than just one game or one season.
So they are part of our path. And then I show also to them that Casemiro was not part of the starting XI, he was behind, and then he fought. He won the place, and if you win the place, you will be playing. So I think that helped them to understand that I’m trying to be fair, and they are part of something very special that is very important to us.