Man Utd takeover news LIVE: Glazers to attend FA Cup final, Hojlund linked, Harry Kane transfer TWIST, Mount latest

Casemiro opens up on ‘spat’ with pal Bruno

To watch Casemiro tearing into Bruno Fernandes you would be forgiven for thinking there is problem between the two, writes NEIL CUSTIS.

It was the end of the Carabao Cup Final as Fernandes began to celebrate the 2-0 win over Newcastle when Casemiro grabbed him by the arm and started remonstrating.

He was unhappy that Fernandes had shot rather than teed him up for a simpler chance near the end of the game.

It was the same at the final whistle of Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of April after Fernandes lost the ball in the closing seconds.

But Casemiro explains these are just examples of how the pair drive each other on as he opened up about his close relationship with someone he describes as ‘the engine’ of the team.

Casemiro, 31, said: “I have a very good relationship with Bruno, we get on really well, and as you get to know him as a player, I can say this with complete confidence, he is one of the most important players at the club and everyone sees what a great player he is.

“We could spend all day talking about how good Bruno is because he is a fantastic player but to be honest and I say this to him, I expect a great deal from him because in my eyes, he’s one of the most important players in the team.

“So, when he misses a chance, when one of his passes goes astray, we always want him to do everything perfectly but these are normal conversations.

“I’ve never had an argument with Bruno, the opposite in fact, I just always demand a lot from him, and he demands a lot from me too.

“Behind the scenes too, sometimes we’ll say to each other, ‘You could have scored, you could have done better there, because you’ve got the quality to do it’.”