How Manchester United can get the best out of Casemiro

Manchester United have signed one of the best defensive midfielders in the world in Casemiro.

After being rebuffed by multiple players across Europe, the Red Devils have signed the five-time Champions League winner from Real Madrid.

So why is there a certain section of fans who are unhappy with the club signing the Brazilian international?

On paper, he is what United needed - a defensive midfield rock who can shield the backline, commit tactical fouls and in general add robustness to a shaky midfield.

Even at 30, age is not a problem. Casemiro is notably younger than Kevin De Bruyne and Thiago, both of whom are balling in the Premier League. However, the issue being pointed out by United fans is the lack of planning behind the signing of Casemiro.

United were initially in for Ten Hag's preferred midfield target - Frenkie de Jong, as he wanted to address the side's problems in the buildup. Casemiro, despite being world-class, is anything but a deep-lying playmaker. He isn't elite at receiving the ball from defence, turning, and progressing the ball. He's not comfortable playing line-breaking passes.

What he's good at is dominating Zone 14 - the area in the middle outside the penalty box - and passing the ball to his more progressive teammates; Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who in turn push the ball up for Madrid.

So how can Ten Hag provide Casemiro with the players and the situations he needs to replicate the qualities showed in Spain?

United's big issue when they have the ball is progression from deep, while out of possession they get picked apart during transitions. With a goalkeeper who cannot make clean passes from the back and without a press resistant holding midfielder, United are always vulnerable against high-pressing teams.

Hence, United certainly needs two more players to get the best out of Casemiro and make the whole team play better as a unit.

Midfield Partner

Netherlands v Germany - International Friendly

Ideally, John Murtough, the club's director of football, needs to jump right back into the transfer market and sign another midfielder. If De Jong is still available, he could form a perfect double pivot with Casemiro.

The Netherlands international is an excellent option during the first build-up phase. He loves to pick the ball from defenders and move the ball upwards either by gliding past opposition players or through quick one-touch passes with his teammates.

Casemiro, meanwhile, is the perfect midfielder to shield the backline. His positional awareness, physicality and high ball retention numbers will compensate for De Jong's adventurous style of play.

The in-house alternative to De Jong is Christian Eriksen, the only United midfielder who can control the tempo and is calm in possession at Ten Hag's disposal. The Brazil midfielder could drop between the centre-backs to create numerical superiority in the build-up (3-2-5), with Eriksen as a deep 8 alongside Bruno Fernandes. This will also allow the full-backs to push higher to form a front five.

Eriksen and Fernandes are among the United players with the most distance covered in their first two Premier League games, indicating they can provide defensive cover for their more advanced teammates.

Fernandinho, who joined Manchester City at the same age as his fellow countryman, proved to be an important player for Pep Guardiola. The Spanish tactician used Fernandinho's athleticism and tendency to make tactical fouls to great effect, and recouped his attacking deficiencies by adding David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne to the same midfield.

Ten Hag, who crossed paths with Guardiola at Bayern Munich, can mirror the same approach with Eriksen and Fernandes, but there's one issue: David de Gea.

New Goalkeeper

Ten Hag can choose to play on the front foot like Guardiola without signing a new midfielder, but then he'd need his own Ederson. Irrespective of how smart Casemiro is at covering space, his lack of pace means United will get caught on the counters regularly if they play a high-line.

The City goalkeeper is very good at nipping counter attacks in the bud by coming off his line. Ten Hag cannot expect that from his current Number 1. As such, he'd have to sign a new shot-stopper or compromise his attacking philosophy.

A new goalkeeper who's good with the ball at his feet and proactive during counters would also allow the Dutch coach to depend less on his midfield to initiate attacks.

With a more progressive man between the sticks, like Alisson, United would be able to employ a 2-3-5 build-up shape with Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez, and push Casemiro higher alongside Fred to do the dirty work.

The Casemiro-Fred double pivot has been impressive for Brazil, keeping 13 clean sheets in the last 17 games while starting together.

Preferably, United should look to sign both a new midfielder and a goalkeeper if they want to a give a serious push to their rebuild. Provide Casemiro with adequate tools and he'll show why he has won five Champions League titles with Los Blancos.

United's poor planning and recruitment failed the last 30-year-old serial winner they signed - Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Red Devils cannot repeat the same mistake with another world-class midfielder. After all, players in their 30s are brought in to complete the team, not to start the rebuild.