Ruben Amorim set the standard at Manchester United this season right away as he exiled five players to train away from the squad, but one player was in that position before he came.
Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrell Malacia were exiled from the team, with Ruben Amorim making it clear that you were either all-in or completely out.
Since that announcement, other players have arrived on the transfer list as well, albeit not as directly as those five.
Rasmus Hojlund’s race at Old Trafford looks run, which makes it all the more remarkable that a certain Man Utd player who was set to be a part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bomb squad, never mind Ruben Amorim’s, is now one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal in action with Matthijis de Ligt, Luke Shaw, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was openly against Casemiro
Honesty and straight talking have never been weaknesses of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and it has even felt like he should rein them in at times.
No player will have felt it more than Casemiro, who has been openly called out multiple times by the man who pays his wages at United.
Ratcliffe criticised United’s signing of Casemiro before he became part-owner of the club, and then doubled down on that stance later.
Casemiro was left ‘shocked’ at Ratcliffe’s comments when he said there are some players who are overpaid and not good enough, with the Brazilian namechecked among that batch.
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The tension was felt as soon as Ruben Amorim arrived, with Ineos’ own man immediately sidelining Casemiro, who wasn’t proving himself up to the task of playing in the manager’s intense system.
Any other player would have been frustrated, especially one with as big a pedigree as Casemiro. He could have easily found himself as a part of the exiled five.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was never a fan anyway, so it would have been easy for Casemiro to down tools and collect his enormous wages.
Which makes it all the more remarkable that he’s not just defied expectations, but made himself one of the first names on the teamsheet at the club.
Casemiro’s professionalism is an example
At a team where one player keeps rejecting offers to play football (Jadon Sancho), Casemiro’s mentality and professionalism are an example for others.
While Manuel Ugarte is struggling and Kobbie Mainoo is a Bruno Fernandes backup, Casemiro has become the first name on the teamsheet.
He’s fitter than ever, determined to beat the advances of Father Time through sheer will and hard work.
Amorim praised him recently, in a complete 180-degree turnaround from the time last season when Toby Collyer was starting ahead of him.
The Brazilian will turn 34 by the end of this season, and nobody is mistaking his contract for not being a burden on the books.
However, unlike other, much younger players who refuse to relaunch their careers by being professional, Casemiro has ensured his wages are not a deadweight.
He might not be Amorim’s ideal midfielder, but he has worked his socks off to become his best available option at Old Trafford.
Downing tools would have been too easy. That’s not what five-time Champions League winners do.