It’s somewhat comforting to know that even those Man United players that have scaled the highest mountains in their career still get it wrong sometimes.
Midfielder, Nicky Butt, was one of the least celebrated members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘Class of 92,’ but he was, nonetheless, an integral cog in the machine.
Under the demanding Scot, Butt and his colleagues enjoyed a period of unprecedented success, including winning an epic Champions League final in 1999 to become the first English side in history to do the treble of League, FA Cup and European Cup.
It’s fair to suggest that he knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed at the Theatre of Dreams, but there’s one player who clearly underwhelmed him upon his arrival.
Casemiro has proved to be one of the catalysts of success in the Erik ten Hag era, and Butt has been forced to eat humble pie because of it.
“I didn’t think he took it to it that well when he started,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I thought he looked heavy and sluggish. I don’t know if he had trained well before he came. I wasn’t sure he could run. But what he’s done since he took off after three or four games has been amazing. Man of the match every week. He’s a bit of an old throwback midfielder.
“I must admit I thought he was an ageing player leaving one big club and coming to another one for money, if I am honest. But what he has done, he looks like a proper leader, a proper guy.”
According to the official Premier League website, the Brazilian’s 55 tackles make him the 10th best in the English top flight for that metric. Not bad for a debut season.
As we can see in the below graphic from the Premier League website too, when compared to Arsenal’s Thomas Partey for example, Casemiro is better in almost every facet.
Though players like Marcus Rashford will always trouble the headline writers when they’re in form, it’s good to see the Brazilian getting the recognition he deserves.