Erik ten Hag believes that playing alongside Casemiro will help the manchester united midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to reach his full potential. Sunday's visit to Aston Villa will be the fourth consecutive time the two have started together since the Brazilian returned from injury against Newport.
United have won every game when the duo were paired together, providing greater solidity to the midfield, but it took time for the national team's stars to line up at Old Trafford. Mainoo missed the first three months of the season with an ankle injurywhile Casemiro was absent upon his return due to a hamstring problemmeaning they first came together at the end of January.
“I'm happy he's back,” Ten Hag said of Casemiro. “Kobbie can learn a lot from him. Kobbie is very easy to train and Casemiro has a lot of experience, Kobbie will learn a lot from it and that will accelerate his development. “I’m happy to have him and when they play together they can benefit from each other.”
When asked if the two have a strong bond, Ten Hag said: “Absolutely, Casemiro takes that responsibility, he takes it, he is talking to him. I see it in the locker room, I see it on the field, on the training ground, in the games. He is analyzing his own game but seeks to help and support Kobbie.”
Casemiro is one of the key players who recently returned from the treatment room, although Lisandro Martínez suffered a knee injury against West Ham that will keep him out for two months.
“You can see that for a long period we missed very important players, like Casemiro, (Lisandro) Martínez, Luke Shaw and others,” Ten Hag said. “But you see the impact of a player when he is there, like Casemiro, he gives you calmness and composure with the ball, he gives you options.”
United are desperate to return to the Champions League but are eight points behind opponents Villa, who started the weekend in fourth place, so a win is vital as they look to close the gap. If United triumph, it would be only the second time this season they have won three first division consecutive games.
After a January window in which Ten Hag admitted the club were unable to make signings due to financial fair play restrictions, missing out on Europe's premier competition would be a blow to their potential summer deals.
“It's very important to play in the Champions League, that's clear, we don't have to discuss this,” Ten Hag said. “What exactly the impact is (of missing something), that's what I don't know right now. You have more financial power when you achieve the Champions League and that is our goal, absolutely.”
