Erik ten Hag names the three reasons Casemiro is his Manchester United leader

Erik ten Hag has praised his 'humble winner' Casemiro for the influence he has had off the pitch at Manchester United, after revealing he targeted players in the summer who would add character and leadership to his squad.

The Brazilian midfielder has emerged as a key figure in the group, driving standards up at Carrington and setting the levels to which his teammates have to reach.

United tracked the 30-year-old for most of the summer and made their move after losing to Brighton and Brentford in their first two games of the season, agreeing a deal worth £70million with Real Madrid.

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After a slow start, Casemiro is now firmly in the frame as the club's player of the season, but his influence has been just as vital off the pitch. Teammates have hailed the command he respects in the dressing room and it's become clear he won't settle for second best.

In the immediate aftermath of the final whistle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley last week, while teammates were celebrating, Casemiro walked over to Bruno Fernandes and told him he should have passed rather than taking on a shot during a late breakaway.

"We are winning a trophy and we are happy but the players they have to have the approach that ‘good’ isn’t good enough," Ten Hag said.

"It was 2-0 but we could have won 3-0 if we made better decisions and (the row) was about that. I think it’s good that players tell each other about their responsibilities and set high standards and high demands to each other and control them, and sometimes you need a correction or a discussion so that a player is aware of his responsibilities."

Ten Hag targeted leaders during his £225m spending spree in