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. 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.
Erik Ten Hag said: “We are winning a trophy and we are happy but the players they have to have the approach that ‘good’ isn’t good enough. 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 the summer and was delighted to land Casemiro, for his contribution off the pitch as well as on it. The Dutchman revealed he had a player at Ajax who also set the standards for others to follow, but that Casemiro now fulfilling the role at United.
Erik Ten Hag said: “I had a player in Ajax who sets those standards but definitely Casemiro in this team, he is such a leader and so important for us. Not only with his performances and skills, like scoring goals with his headers, or linking up, or intercepting balls – but his organisation, his mentality, the culture (he projects). We are so happy that we signed him.”
United did their due diligence on Casemiro in the summer, speaking to people who have worked him to get a better understanding of what he would bring to Old Trafford. Their feelings about him were reinforced when he contacted club bosses in the days after the 4-0 defeat to Brentford to say he still wanted to come and he could help turn the club around. He has been true to his word with that and Ten Hag insisted he hadn’t been surprised about the contribution the Brazilian has made. The United manager describes players such as Casemiro and Raphael Varane as winners who will also fit into the group dynamic and their presence is giving him assurance on the touchline.
Erik Ten hag said: “No, absolutely not [surprised]. I knew what a magnificent player he was. Just look at his profile, all the cups he’s won, that’s not a coincidence. Like Rapha Varane and Casemiro, they won five Champions Leagues, that’s not a coincidence. For me it’s always the same, you have players who win, and who win always, and players who lose and are always losing. You have to do your research and find the type who will win and who are cooperative in the dressing room, to be humble, but when on the pitch they take responsibility. You can sit on the bench and you are composed because you know the players will do the job and will deal with the situation and bring you the wins.”
Ten Hag made a conscious decision to go after players with character and leadership abilities in his first transfer window after noticing it was an area the squad he inherited was lacking in.
Erik Ten Hag said: “When you go to recruitment in the summer, we were looking for players with character, with personality. It was not only about signing players. A lot of players in the world have great skills from a technical approach, or they can run really fast, but we were looking for players who have character, who have personality, who have leadership, take responsibility, who are resilient. That is the type of players I was looking for after I analysed the squad.”
