Casemiro is already helping to raise the standards at Manchester United

At the end of last season Scott McTominay's long-term future at Manchester United looked to be in the balance.

McTominay unwittingly found himself as a key component in what was a disastrous Reds squad. Firstly under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and latterly with Ralf Rangnick, he underperformed like many of his teammates.

To many fans and pundits alike, Erik ten Hag's number one task over the summer was to improve central midfield with a defensive-minded player. Despite targeting Frenkie de Jong for much of the transfer window, to eventually no avail, Ten Hag ultimately splashed the cash on Casemiro.

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A proven winner at the very highest level, the former Real Madrid man came in to strengthen the United squad and, it seemed, bring an end to McTominay's spell in the starting XI. However, since being introduced to the Old Trafford faithful before United's clash with Liverpool, Casemiro has barely had a sniff in the league.

Why? Because McTominay has stepped up to the plate to fill the role the Brazilian was brought in to play. It has no doubt helped that United are on a fine run of form in the Premier League at present.

However, his performances alone have merited his inclusion in the United line-up. Many eyebrows were raised when the Reds invested so much money into a 30-year-old midfielder but it is starting to become clear the vision Ten Hag had by introducing a player like Casemiro into the squad.

Even if he does not play every match, Casemiro has been signed to lift the standards of the midfielders in the team. Last season you could see that, safe in the knowledge that there was no alternative defensive, centre of the park option, McTominay's form suffered.

Now, with a very