When Casemiro ended his career at Man Utd with a standing ovation, but the “nostalgia” tends to sum it up to look better than it actually was. Scoring was the most important thing United got from him, rather than traditional defensive midfield tasks. Michael Carrick had to plan his entire system to account for Casemiro’s advancing play, which allowed Kobbie Mainoo to often perform the defensive tasks for two players. This has now changed.
The 22-year-old Andrey Santos is a real defensive midfielder, or what Casemiro used to be before the lack of mobility started to hamper the Brazilian at the top level. Nysinging Santos has only played two games for Man Utd so far, but he shows he covers both boxes, falls in between the centre-backs, patrols Casemiro’s weak zone from last season and stops opponents’ attacks with great conviction.
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Okay, it’s about Wrexham and Roseborg, but still. We saw Santos’ defensive midfield partner able to concentrate on his game instead of covering for him, which has been a boon for Mason Mount.
Santos’ progressive passing and positional discipline add a unique quality to United’s midfield that they lacked last season. In the process, he has set himself apart from Casemiro in a way that his teammates will be grateful for.
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This bodes well!
