Man United fans' song sends Casemiro clear message during Brentford win

Casemiro has been a lightning rod for criticism during Manchester United 's poor start to the 2024/25 season but, like boss Erik ten Hag, the Brazil midfielder received a timely boost on Saturday.

United's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in September saw Casemiro cast in a particularly harsh light, the former Real Madrid midfielder looking a shadow of the player who was once regarded as being among the finest defensive midfielders in world football.

The decision to spend €70 million (£58.95m/$76m) on a then-30-year-old on a four-year contract in 2022 has frequently been flagged as emblematic of the wasteful decision-making that has hindered the modern era at United.

Casemiro might not have started Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Brentford had Manuel Ugarte returned from international duty with Uruguay fully fit but he was in alongside Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes in midfield.

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The experienced campaign was guilty of losing the Bees' gifted playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard too often during the opening half-hour but he performed tirelessly, sometimes dropping in between the centre-backs to help build play and also bustling forwards to join attacks.

Those efforts were appreciated by the Stretford End, who serenaded him with "Do do do do, Casemiro!"

According to FutMob, Casemiro made 13 defensive actions before making way for Ugarte late on, more than any other player in the game. He also won four out of his five tackles and recovered possession on six occasions.

Like United overall, this was not a performance to salvage his reputation but a much-needed up-tick. And Casemiro has the added boost that his own club's most vocal fans remain on-side.