'Excellent', 'a leader': Van Nistelrooy praises unsung United hero vs Chelsea, but Amorim could drop him - opinion

Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was delighted with the performance of one player following the 1-1 Premier League draw against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Red Devils shared the spoils against the Blues at Old Trafford yesterday. Noussair Mazraoui was undoubtedly the best performer from the left-back role for United.

Casemiro also had a relatively good outing in the centre of the park and he caught the eye with his ability to track back. He made an impressive six recoveries in the game.

The midfielder was also good with his diagonal passes. One of those contributed to Rasmus Hojlund winning the penalty which was converted by Bruno Fernandes.

Speaking after the draw, Van Nistelrooy said that Casemiro has been excellent in his first two games in charge and added that he is very important as a leader in the team.

He told reporters (via Mirror): “I think his performances last Wednesday and today were excellent. With his two goals last Wednesday, today he played a great ball in for Rasmus Hojlund for the penalty situation.

“I think he had an excellent game overall, covering together with Ugarte, taking care of Cole Palmer and in the second-half (Marc) Cucurella and in the first-half (Malo) Gusto. He did really well there, he balanced the team on and off the ball. So he is very important, also as a leader in this team.”

Casemiro had a tough start to the campaign and he received plenty of scrutiny from fans and pundits after making two high-profile errors in the 3-0 loss to Liverpool.

However, the 32-year-old has managed to redeem himself in recent weeks. The midfielder has started to find form and confidence after getting a prolonged run of starts.

The big question remains whether Casemiro can continue to keep his place under new manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese could prefer Manuel Ugarte in the number six role.

Ugarte and Casemiro have played together in recent games, but that could change after the international break with Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount due to return after injuries.

Casemiro can make a big impression over the next two outings, but Ugarte could have the upper hand over him, having worked under Amorim for two seasons at Sporting CP.

Stats from Fotmob.com