Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has revealed that most of his work is done off the pitch between games – something that has spurred him to great success in his career.
Casemiro, who branded himself a football obsessive, told club media that he conducts his own analysis of games, watching them back three or four times in an effort to fine-tune his game.
The Brazilian started for the first time in the Premier League on Sunday against Everton.
He was brilliant, recovering well after an early error that led to Everton’s opener in the fifth minute. Since then he was excellent in the middle of the park and capped off a fine performance with an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal.
Casemiro said, “I look at them a lot and I enjoy it [his stats]. Yes, it’s the way you learn and develop by correcting errors. I think it’s key to continue evolving in football.”
“I watch a lot of football. I love it. My wife gets a bit annoyed, as there is only football on at home! Football is my passion, it’s my soul and I believe that’s been the key to my success. I love football. I love watching football.”
The 30-year-old indicated his primary role in the team in the exclusive interview.
“Everybody knows my work. My role is defensive – to help my teammates and bring the ball out from the back with quality.”
As per the player, while goals are nice, he draws the most joy from defending and keeping the opposition out – everything else is secondary in nature.
He went on to add that the manager has enough players to get him goals. He mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford as some of the stars tasked with putting the ball in the back of the net.
United face off against Omonia tonight in the Europa League, which will provide another chance for Casemiro to extend his imprint on the team and put a permanent marker on his position in the starting XI.
On the evidence of his exploits against Everton, he has earned his place ahead of Scott McTominay – he should now look to make it his and make himself an undroppable.
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