TO watch Casemiro tearing into Bruno Fernandes you would be forgiven for thinking there is problem between the two.
It was the end of the Carabao Cup Final as Fernandes began to celebrate the 2-0 win over Newcastle when Casemiro grabbed him by the arm and started remonstrating.
He was unhappy that Fernandes had shot rather than teed him up for a simpler chance near the end of the game.
It was the same at the final whistle of Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of April after Fernandes lost the ball in the closing seconds.
But Casemiro explains these are just examples of how the pair drive each other on as he opened up about his close relationship with someone he describes as ‘the engine’ of the team.
Casemiro, 31, said: “I have a very good relationship with Bruno, we get on really well, and as you get to know him as a player, I can say this with complete confidence, he is one of the most important players at the club and everyone sees what a great player he is.
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“We could spend all day talking about how good Bruno is because he is a fantastic player but to be honest and I say this to him, I expect a great deal from him because in my eyes, he’s one of the most important players in the team.
“So, when he misses a chance, when one of his passes goes astray, we always want him to do everything perfectly but these are normal conversations.
“I’ve never had an argument with Bruno, the opposite in fact, I just always demand a lot from him, and he demands a lot from me too.
“Behind the scenes too, sometimes we’ll say to each other, ‘You could have scored, you could have done better there, because you’ve got the quality to do it’.
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Indeed Casemiro puts it down to fellow Portuguese speaker Fernandes that he has been able to settle in to United so seamlessly in his first season.
He said: “When I arrived here, and it was down to the language, I was fortunate that Bruno would always help me a great deal. He was always brilliant with me.
“He taught me lots about the club, what it means.
“When I speak about Bruno, I have great affection for him because he’s a player that helped me from the beginning in terms of the language and he’s a fantastic player, an incredible player, someone who brings a great deal to the team.
“He’s the driving force of the team, the one that helps us the most. The team’s engine if you like.”
That ‘engine’ will need to be at full throttle for Saturday’s FA Cup final as they take on Champions Manchester City who are heading for a treble.
For United victory would make it a domestic Cup double on top of a third place league finish.
Nobody could have predicted that after an opening day loss followed by that 4-0 thumping away to Brentford.
The fear after that game was Casemiro would run a mile from his prospective move to Old Trafford from Real Madrid where he had won five Champions Leagues and three La Ligas.
Quite the opposite, he sent a message to United’s Director of Football John Murtough that he ‘would fix it’.
He said: “To be honest I did say that. I was speaking to my agent, and with John too about this afterwards.
“I’d said this after it had happened because I was also very excited and I was aware that my period at Real Madrid had come to an end and I was really upbeat about coming here and taking on this new project, this new challenge. It was clear in my mind.
“I had no second thoughts at all.
“I knew that it wouldn’t be an easy challenge because it was a tough defeat to take for us but I think the excitement of coming here and making a change. We knew that there was still a long way to go.
“I think the difference from then to now is the time that the manager has been here.
“We understand his philosophy when it comes to working and that’s normal in football.
“In my eyes the manager has had a great season, the club has had a great season but of course we’re excited and it’s lovely to playing in a FA Cup final.”
Casemiro was part of the Real team that beat City over two legs in the Champions League semi-final last season.
He also helped the Red Devils gain revenge for a 6-3 drubbing at The Etihad, a game he came on in after 59 minutes with the team 4-1 down, with a 2-1 victory in the return fixture at Old Trafford.
So he knows they can be beaten and how to do it.
He said: “We know that we have to play very well because they will give us a good game.
“They play very good football, have a great manager, great players but every game is a different story, a different film as we like to say.
“It’s a very important game but we also know that it’s one you should enjoy. It’s a final to enjoy.”
Casemiro has become a hero in the stands at Old Trafford for his contribution in this his first season.
He was devastated by the two red cards he received that kept him out of action for a total of seven games, having already been suspended for one after receiving five yellows.
Without him United just weren’t the same.
His impact has been in contrast to some other high profile players that can be named who came to Old Trafford towards the latter part of their careers.
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He said: “The club and fans have been brilliant with me since day one. I love the affection I get from them and that everyone has behaved so well towards me so I’m very happy and I’m enjoying myself as if I was 20-year-old kid.
“It’s because I’m very happy here and it isn’t just me, it’s my whole family too that are very happy here.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
