Erik ten Hag has a Casemiro problem at Manchester United

No summer signing has had as much of a positive impact on their new club this season as Casemiro.

Not even Erling Haaland and his freakish ability to stick the ball in the back of the net has been as transformative for a side's fortunes as Casemiro. Many turned their noses up when Manchester United spent £60million on a player aged 30 but he has already shown he is worth every penny.

Not only has the Brazilian lynchpin done all of what was expected of him at Old Trafford by adding the long-missed defensive resilience and leadership in the middle of the park, but he has even exceeded the loftiest of expectations of a five-time Champions League winner.

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Perhaps he never had to do as much on the ball in Madrid thanks to having two generational talents in Luka Modric and Toni Kroos on either side of him so it wasn't quite appreciated just how good he is, but Casemiro's contributions at the opposite end of the pitch have been a delightful surprise.

Whether it's coming in clutch with important goals, galivanting forward to join in attacks or his excellent use of the ball with a remarkable range of passing, the 31-year-old has revolutionised the way United build up play and attack opponents.

Erik ten Hag has developed a lot of players in his few months in charge to the point where several are now crucial to the team. Losing any of Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes or Raphael Varane would be a significant blow but none more so than Casemiro.

We've already seen it in action. There was mass panic when he picked up a silly 10th booking of the season which ruled him out of the crucial match against Arsenal and though United applied themselves well, they were outplayed