- 21 hours ago
Casemiro’s THREE questions before joining Man Utd
Manchester United’s summer signing of Casemiro was one of the coups of the transfer window, with the Real Madrid midfielder making a surprise switch to Old Trafford.
A deal was concluded late in August that saw the Brazil international swap the Bernabeu for Man Utd for a fee in the region of €70 million, and after being slowly integrated into his new side by Erik ten Hag, Casemiro has rapidly established himself as an important member of the squad.
Although it appeared in the transfer window that a deal was rushed through quickly, this is not the case. Indeed, the Manchester Evening News reports that the 30-year-old had been in talks with Man Utd for months before the deal was struck.
MORE: Ronaldo offered a second ‘crazy proposal’
Casemiro did, however, want three major questions answered before the completed the move.
Firstly, he wanted to see the gym facilities at Old Trafford. Man Utd sent a recording of their facilities to Oscar Ribot, and though Cristiano Ronaldo might have criticised the state of the club’s Carrington training ground, they were up to scratch for Casemiro, who reportedly conducts early morning workout sessions.
MORE: World Cup 2022: Fixtures, results, teams, knockouts, favourites, draw
Indeed, the midfielder only wanted to know two other things before he joined the club, which persuaded United that they were signing a leader.
Casemiro only otherwise asked questions about where he would live and play.
Why Real Madrid sold Casemiro
Real Madrid, for their part, were happy to allow Casemiro to leave for a substantial fee given his age They already believe they have a succession plan in place, having signed Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco for a fee that could reach €100m.
Meanwhile, Casemiro turns 31 in February and there are concerns over his longevity.
The player was also pushing for a move, as Man Utd manager Ten Hag revealed.
“He told me when we had the first talk he needs a new challenge because with Real Madrid he won everything. He was a big part of Real Madrid. He had the feeling I have to go to another club, to another league to prove myself and that shows his hunger, I really like that.”
Casemiro is presently starring for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.