Casemiro insists he has had a ‘good season’ so far despite his mixed Man United form and explains why he is excited to play under Ruben Amorim

Casemiro strode out of the tunnel with his son Caio and his daughter Sara as his designated mascots. He was smiling. A big smile. It was a sign of the changing times for the Brazilian.

After a disastrous display in defeat by Liverpool in which he was hooked by Erik ten Hag at half-time, his critics were telling him to call it a day.

‘It is a sad sight seeing what he’s going through out there,’ Jamie Carragher said, having previously told the 32-year-old to ‘leave the football before the football leaves you’.

‘I have to say he’s lost his confidence a little bit,’ added Gary Neville.

Casemiro had to do some soul-searching. Was he still at it? Can he still be effective at the top level? The answer, in his mind, was yes and yes.

Casemiro was imperious against Leicester on Sunday as the Red Devils triumphed 3-0

‘Well, everyone can see can’t they? I only had the Liverpool game, right?’ Casemiro said after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Leicester.

‘The whole team was not good in that game, or this season.

‘I think it’s been a good season for me. I want to continue growing, I want to continue helping my team-mates and the coach, helping Manchester United grow and well, everyone knows what my job is.’

Casemiro has been one of the bright spots for United in the past few weeks; put simply he looks like he is enjoying his football again, which is credit to interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

‘I honestly enjoyed it a lot,’ he said of working under the former United striker.

‘Everyone in Madrid that I had asked before said he was a great person so I was not surprised. From the first minute he spoke to us, he told us to always enjoy it, always to be happy, to take advantage of the moment to play for Manchester United. We often forget, don’t we?

‘He was a legend at Manchester United. He was a legend at Madrid. He is a legend of No 9s. It was a pleasure. It was a pleasure to share that moment with him.’

People in Casemiro’s camp speak of his crucial off-season in which he was able to benefit from some time off and trim down to become leaner.

His performance against Leicester, where he went 34/38 on accurate passes (89 per cent) and won 7/11 tackles attempted along with four ball recoveries, no longer came as a surprise. Fans have been reminded of his value, particularly in an effective tandem with Manuel Ugarte, who is freeing Casemiro up from some of the defensive duties which bogged him down in the Ten Hag demise.

‘I have a good connection with [Ugarte]. When one goes forward, the other covers, and vice versa. That is how it has to be, one compliments the other,’ he explained.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s spell as interim was a successful one Casemiro enjoyed playing under

‘I think the other games have been like this.

‘I have a good a connection with him. He is a great person. He’s a good kind of person. Then, little by little he is also showing that he is a national team player from Uruguay, from a team that has good players.

‘He has total respect, not only mine, but from all the players. And well, it is good for us to have good players, so we have a much better squad.’

The elephant in the room is that a fully-fit Kobbie Mainoo will take Casemiro’s place and that is the challenge for the Brazilian now.

Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3, as well as his familiarity with Ugarte, means two does not go into one when it comes to Mainoo and Casemiro.

But Casemiro is putting a case together that is becoming harder to argue with.

He is the only midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this season to rank in the top three per cent for both duel win rate and defensive actions, while he is in the top six per cent for key passes and top eight per cent for forward passes.

Amorim’s system requires a strong press and high levels of mobility and Casemiro knows the challenge ahead – but it is not one he is going to shirk.

Manuel Ugarte (left) and Casemiro have struck up a midfield base which has solidified United

‘We have not spoken, but everyone speaks so well of him,’ he said of his new boss, who boarded a plane for Manchester this morning.

‘We cannot ignore how he has changed Sporting. We know that Sporting won many titles, changed the club with titles, with trophies. He has already proved that he is a coach that has won a lot.

‘I think there is going to be a good template that everyone wants to grow, everyone wants to learn. I think that is the way to first help us grow to be at the top of the table.’

So how good can United become under his watch?

‘We have to keep improving,’ he said.

‘We have the players to do that. We have to keep growing.

‘We are in a good dynamic. Now comes the international break then the most important part of the season, when there are many matches and when all players are needed.

Ruben Amorim will be working with Casemiro imminently after becoming United’s next boss

‘We are seeing players injured [coming back], so that is important. That is important because now, after the break, we have the most difficult stretch of the season.’

It feels not so long ago that Casemiro’s wife Anna went on Instagram to remind his critics of all the trophies he has won in his illustrious career to this point.

There is no need to flex now. Casemiro has defied many expectations by presenting Amorim with a headache that seemed so unlikely at half-time against Liverpool.

The challenge now is can he keep hold of the shirt he has worked so hard to get back?