'He was not the best option' - Why Manchester United star lost starting role - and how he got it back

Ruben Amorim praised Casemiro for how he has regained a place in the Manchester United starting line-up again after a tough start to life under him. The 33-year-old only started four of the first 20 matches under the Portuguese head coach, but has since started eight of the previous 10 matches across all competitions.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the veteran midfielder, who could yet be sold in the summer transfer window. Casemiro only has one year left on his current deal at the club, but United had been keen to sell the star player due to his enormous wage demands as well as the fact that he had struggled for form.

United could still look to sell Casemiro at the end of the season, but he has made a strong case to remain at the club after a recent resurgence in the starting line up. The Brazilian made 11 tackles in the goalless draw with City on Sunday afternoon, the joint-most by any United player on record in a Premier League game.

Ruben Amorim hails Casemiro after derby draw

Casemiro has regained his place in the Manchester United starting line up in recent weeks, but will face fresh competition for his position amid the return of Kobbie Mainoo from injury. It will be interesting to see if the former Real Madrid man will keep his role for the crucial Europa League clash against Lyon later this month, but he is certainly doing his chances no harm based on recent form.

Asked why Casemiro was now a regular in the line up again, Ruben Amorim told reporters: "The important thing is that Casemiro won everything with Real Madrid.

"He was not playing because I understood in the moment that he was not the best option to the way we want to play. But he continued to work. I look at my players in the same way. If you improve what we ask of them, they have the opportunity, if they play well, they continue to play. So that was the situation of Casemiro. The credit is all the player's. He is our player and he will continue to be our player."

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