Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag played a crucial role in the club winning the race for the transfer of Casemiro when he left Real Madrid in the summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano in today’s exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Man Utd had other midfield targets as well, such as well-documented links with Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot, but they moved quickly for Casemiro when he became available later in the summer.
The Brazil international has ended up being an inspired signing for Ten Hag’s side, and arguably one of the best purchases made by a Premier League club last summer.
Romano also says there’s no truth to links with Chelsea or other clubs, with Casemiro only ever being close to a move to United, with Ten Hag playing a particularly key role in persuading the player to move to Old Trafford.
“What a season Casemiro is having! Despite the pursuit of Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot earlier in the summer, Casemiro has always been on the list for Manchester United, but he wasn’t available in June or July,” Romano said.
“When the situation changed in August, Manchester United decided to proceed and Erik ten Hag was crucial as he spoke directly to the player. It was a difficult signing but an excellent one.
“There was nothing concrete with other clubs, despite links with Chelsea. Real Madrid wanted to keep the player, but when Manchester United called, Casemiro decided to accept and force his exit from him. He was not close to joining anyone else.”
United fans will be thrilled with the impact Casemiro has had on this squad, with the 31-year-old really showing why he was part of so many trophy-winning sides in his time in Madrid.
In just his first few months in Manchester, Casemiro already has silverware to his name after scoring for the Red Devils in their Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle at the weekend.