Casemiro says Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane were the two players he admired when he was growing up

Casemiro has named Manchester United legend Paul Scholes among the top midfielders he idolised as a youngster.

Although Casemiro was past his best when he signed for Manchester United in 2022, after winning everything at Real Madrid, the Brazilian has been a good club servant since then.

Winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time at United, Casemiro has thus far made 152 appearances.

Casemiro announced he will leave United in the summer, which means there will be an attempt to find a replacement over the coming months.

Prove us wrong… Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes are the best midfield trio in the Premier League

There is not another trio we would swap them for!

Casemiro hails Paul Scholes as inspiration

It raised eyebrows when United paid £60 million for Casemiro on transfer deadline day in 2022.

While Casemiro was one of the best midfielders in his eight years at Real Madrid and an upgrade on the player he replaced, Nemanja Matic, many questioned whether United should be signing a player for so much money who was approaching his 30s.

Casemiro is likely to get a good send-off at the end of the season because he’s a favourite amongst the fans, with many sad to see him depart Old Trafford.

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The Brazil international has now admitted he grew up watching United under Sir Alex Ferguson when he would pay close attention to Paul Scholes.

Speaking to DAZN in Spain, Casemiro lifted the lid on which players he admired as a youngster.

The first player Casemiro mentioned was his former Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane, but he went on to hail Scholes and explain how United’s dominant era under Ferguson had a major impact on him.

“In particular, especially Zidane. Of course Zidane is number one, for me he is the one I always looked at closely,” Casemiro said.

“But I also watched a lot of football in the period when United were winning it all, with [Alex] Ferguson. So a player I liked a lot was Paul Scholes, who played a bit in my position. When he played, I watched him very closely.”

He added: “When you are a kid, everyone on TV becomes someone you pay attention to. You are always watching a lot of football. I really enjoyed those players.”

Have you seen Paul Scholes score a better goal than this wonder-strike vs Aston Villa?

What a hit! 🔥

The technique on this volley is absolutely insane!

Casemiro still dominating battles in midfield

Casemiro will leave United in the summer, but his performances are helping Michael Carrick’s team win matches.

In United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Casemiro made more ball recoveries (9) and won more tackles (4/4) than every other player on the pitch.

That shows how important Casemiro is to this team.

Finding a replacement in the summer won’t be easy because Casemiro is one of the greatest midfielders from his generation.

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