Just
Casemiro took the pitch at Old Trafford just before the game, flashed a shirt with his name in the Manchester sky and snapped a selfie for the club’s social media amid the general noise. On his way to the stands, he spotted Roy Keane, United’s former midfield boss turned TV commentator, on the sidelines and complimented him. The grumpy Irishman, the same man who ended Haaland’s father’s football career, gave him a warm welcome.
1
De Gea, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martínez, Tyrell Malacia, Varane, McTominay, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Rashford
0
Alisson, Joe Gomez, Virgil Van Dijk, A. Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliot, Milner, Henderson, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Salah
Gates 1-0 min 15: Jadon Sancho.
referee MichaelOliver
Yellow cards Trent Alexander-Arnold (min. 23) and Varane (min. 26)
Casemiro had turned up at Old Trafford three hours before his new side’s game against Liverpool was due to start. Some chaos erupted at his presence, with hardly any security guards accompanying the footballer among the fifty supporters who noticed the Brazilian’s presence. Most struggled to take a selfie with him. Embraced by a single escort, the Brazilian entered the stadium. Not far from there, a crowd rallied to heed calls from various groups of club supporters to demand that the Glazer family relinquish control it had held for 17 years amid regret and reproach. Because there were times when the team won, but not even now. United started the Premier League with two defeats in the opening two days (2-1 to Brighton and 4-0 to Brentford) and were bottom of the table going into the third term.
Casemiro came at a bad time. The atmosphere was very tense and what happened in May 2021 floated in memory as a similar demonstration led to the postponement of another date against Liverpool. Several fans tried to tear down fences in front of the stadium and club security had to work hard to replace them. He wasn’t in the mood to keep an eye on the new guy, even if it had cost a fortune.
At Old Trafford, Casemiro waited until game time. There he awaited the arrival of his new teammates and encountered a line-up that didn’t feature Cristiano Ronaldo. Coach Erik Ten Hag drew third midfield to the table in three games. Fred, who at times forms the double hub with Casemiro in the Brazilian team, remained on the bench. McTominay emerged as the chosen one to work in front of defense and Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes initially started as centre-backs. They are Kroos and Modric, save the distances that are not few. Meanwhile, all indications are that Casemiro will wear the number 18, the sum of the two of his fellow demarcations at Real Madrid, as well as the total number of titles he has won dressed in white.
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