'You will not believe how happy I am at United'
Manchester United fans’ favourite Casemiro has admitted his adaptation to life as a Red could not be going better.
The respected journalist attended our Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday and spoke to Stewart Gardner after the final whistle.
As Natalie alluded to, it was perhaps a slower-than-expected start for Casemiro as he worked hard on hit fitness so that he could adjust to English football.
As we have all seen in recent weeks, our summer signing has now integrated perfectly and he was this week announced as one of United’s Player-of-the-Month nominees for October.
There is still time to cast your vote in our poll: choose now between Casemiro, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez or Marcus Rashford. The winner will be announced on Thursday.
UTD Podcast: Matchday | West Ham (H)
podcastListen to the story of United's tense 1-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League with UTD Podcast co-hosts Sam Homewood, Stewart Gardner and Zarah Connolly. There's input from five former players in Luke Chadwick, Bryan Robson, Mickey Thomas, Ben Thornley and Paul Woolston, plus insights from Erik ten Hag, David De Gea and goalscorer Marcus Rashford. ESPN Brazil's Natalie Gedra also provides her take on the national team manager Tite watching Casemiro and Fred at Old Trafford.
Speaking on our UTD Podcast, ESPN Brazil reporter Gedra provides her insight into how Casemiro’s transfer from Real Madrid was perceived at home.
“It was huge, definitely, it was huge,” she explains. “Nobody was expecting it, it was a big surprise for everyone and especially because he was such a big player for Real Madrid. Nobody expected him to leave there ever. When he came, there was a bit of questioning. So it was big.
“There were a lot of questions around how Casemiro would adapt to such a big league like the Premier League, especially under the circumstances that he arrived because Man United was not doing well and Real Madrid was in a very stable situation.
“Nobody really questioned that he would make things work because we know Casemiro so well and we know the type of player he is. We are not surprised that he is delivering but we were surprised by the move, definitely.”
‘YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE HOW HAPPY I AM’
Continuing her assessment of the move, Gedra provides details of a discussion with Casemiro following his last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month.
“I actually spoke to Casemiro after the Chelsea match and he said to me that his adaptation couldn't be better,” Natalie told us.
“He said that since the start, even if he wasn't playing, the coaching staff was talking to him all the time, talking about the Premier League, talking about the team, making him feel comfortable and the club has been amazing to him, making him feel like a part of all this.
“He is settling in really well and he feels very comfortable on the pitch. I think the language is still something he is probably working on, but he definitely feels comfortable in terms of football and the people around him. He is very happy.”
“I was really surprised with how happy he is. There is nothing wrong with Manchester [laughs], absolutely nothing, but he was just so delighted. He was like, 'you will not believe how happy I am here at Man United' and after so many years in Madrid, to settle in so quickly is quite surprising.”
Casemiro is set to return to Spain this week as United face Real Sociedad in the Europa League. Kick-off for that match is scheduled for 17:45 GMT on Thursday.