Manchester United signing Casemiro is thrilled to make the move to Old Trafford – 15 years after playing there for Sao Paulo.
The Brazil midfielder arrived from Real Madrid this week in a £70m deal.
The 30-year-old was presented at Old Trafford prior to the 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday.
The victory came after back-to-back defeats at the season’s start, with Brazil teammate Fred criticised by some fans.
Casemiro revealed he had spoken to Fred before making the move.
“He’s a friend who I’ve played alongside in the national team for a good number of games and years,” he told the club’s website.
He added: “He’s a great player and that’s why he plays for Man United and Brazil. Fred has a lot of qualities.
“I think he’s a player that has good movement. He’s very mobile, passes the ball well, he has a good shot on him, he can play with both feet, left or right, he can pass the ball well with either foot.
“Again, that’s why he plays for Brazil and he’s a very important player at this club and I think he’ll help me a great deal as he’s Brazilian.”
Casemiro is also reuniting with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane at Man Utd, with the three having played together at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo has pushed to leave Old Trafford this summer but appears unlikely to leave before the deadline and Casemiro is looking forward to reuniting with him.
“We could spend all day talking about Cristiano. He’s one of the best players in the history of football.” he said.
“Looking back at his time at Real Madrid, I think we spent seven years together, so it’s an honour to play once again with these players.”
Casemiro also revealed he had played at Old Trafford as a 15-year-old in youth competition while at Sao Paulo and harboured ambitions to one day return.
“When I played in that Nike Cup I would have liked to come here and now that I’m here again I’m the happiest man alive,” he said.
