Erik ten Hag hailed all-rounder Casemiro after his spectacular strike gave Manchester United a crucial win at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The Brazil star scored the only goal of the game with an overhead kick, and Ten Hag admitted that Casemiro still surprises him with what he can do.
‘The movement is great, the touch from Christian Eriksen is great and the finish is brilliant,’ said the United manager.
‘He keeps surprising us. He’s such a brilliant football player. We know him as being very good at organising, positioning, anticipating and intercepting, winning lots of duels, fighting and keeping the team together – but also in his possession, his distribution and his finishing. He’s a great football player.
‘We emphasise a lot, and train a lot, the movement in the final third. The movement has to come from the front line and the second line, but also the third line with the full-backs and Casemiro.’
Erik ten Hag heaped praise on Casemiro (pictured) after his goal against Bournemouth handed United a crucial win
He also admitted that the former Real Madrid man had ‘absolutely’ exceeded his expectations
The Dutch manager has relied heavily on his midfield general throughout United’s season
Asked if the former Real Madrid player has exceeded his expectations since joining United last summer, Ten Hag added: ‘Absolutely, by far. There are not many in that profile who fit the standard of Man United so we’re happy we found him. His contribution is massive.’
Ten Hag was satisfied with United’s overall performance – particularly in the first quarter of the game – and the contribution of David de Gea who kept another clean sheet to secure the Golden Glove award.
‘I was very happy with the performance,’ said Ten Hag. ‘The first 25 minutes was one of the highest levels from us this season. We dominated Bournemouth and they didn’t have any chance to play out.
‘It’s the way we want to play football: pin the opponent back, a lot of movement and a good counter-press. In the end, we also had a very good goalkeeper who saved us.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk
