One of Rúben Amorim’s current Manchester United players has been dubbed the most important player in his national side, despite almost being sold by Erik ten Hag.
Rúben Amorim will be closely monitoring his Manchester United players during the international break as the club prepares for a demanding run of fixtures before the new year.
United have played only three matches per month for most of the season because they are not competing in Europe or the Carabao Cup. Once the November international break ends, the schedule becomes far more intense.
Across November and December, United are set to play eight matches in 46 days, including trips to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, two meetings with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and home games against Everton, Newcastle, and Bournemouth.
During the break, several of Amorim’s squad members are involved in World Cup qualifiers. The United head coach will be hoping they return without injury.
Ancelotti sings the praises of Casemiro
Casemiro’s first season at United was nothing short of incredible. The Brazilian was absolutely integral to Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge, scoring the opening goal in the Carabao Cup final and taking United to a third-placed finish in the Premier League.
However, after a disappointing second season in Red, the now 33-year-old did not even feature in the FA Cup final and was excluded from the Brazilian national side, with expectations at the time being that he was set to leave the club for Saudi Arabia.
But, with Amorim now in charge, Casemiro has quickly become essential to United’s current set-up. At the same time, he’s now returned to the starting XI with Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, with the legendary manager naming him as the side’s “most important player” ahead of their World Cup campaign.
“He is the most important player for the team’s balance,” Ancelotti told the media after a 2-0 friendly win over Senegal this week. “He is very tactically intelligent. He shows great leadership. He is an important player for us.”
Casemiro was a monster during the tie at the Emirates Stadium, winning seven duels, completing 40 of his 44 attempted passes, and scoring the second goal of the game.
Casemiro should be kept this summer
Two seasons into his four-year deal at Old Trafford, the contract handed to the veteran Brazilian was painted as an outrageous one – United gave him a contract worth around £300,000 a week after paying Real Madrid a £60 million fee.
But, with this deal set to expire at the end of the season, there is an increasingly intense debate rising as to whether he should be handed an extension to his current deal or given a new contract with fresh terms to keep him at Old Trafford.
Amorim has a relatively young squad, with the likes of Amad, Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Senne Lammens, Kobbie Mainoo, and Benajmin Šeško all 23 years of age or younger. It could be argued that keeping Casemiro on reduced wages would help keep a strong figurehead and leader in the side.
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The real decision comes when comparing who has more weight at the club between Casemiro and Harry Maguire. The centre-back’s current deal also expires at the end of the season, and he’s another strong leader at Old Trafford, but keeping both may not be an effective use of squad space for Amorim.
The argument for keeping Casemiro over Maguire mainly rests on who else United have. While Casemiro has been brilliant in midfield, Maguire’s injury record has been spotty lately, and realistically, he is the second choice to Matthijs de Ligt in the starting lineup.
Having Casemiro at Old Trafford would help Amorim have a rotation player he knows he can rely on, while also keeping a leader and player for the younger generation to look up to.
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