Will Casemiro break the curse? The wheat is not exactly blooming for the Brazilian at Old Trafford. How did his predecessors fare at Manchester United?

Casemiro is already a Manchester United player. This is a big signing. Moreover, the arrival was made very quickly and also unexpectedly. However, the Brazilian is not doing very well in the Red Devils jersey. The former Real Madrid player will be the eighth Brazilian to make an appearance at Old Trafford. How did his predecessors do?

Manchester United normally field a nationally diverse team. However, players from South America generally don’t come to Old Trafford very often. For example, Casemiro, the new star signing, is only the eighth Brazilian to feature for England’s most successful club.

Kléberson

Kléberson was the first ever “canary” in the Red Devils’ jersey. He signed for the club in 2003 after winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. He was supposed to replace Juan Sebastian Veron in the midfield, who did not perform as expected. However, he was injured in the second match and that marked his entire engagement.

Although Kléberson won the FA Cup with Manchester United, he lasted only two years at the club, during which he managed to play only 30 games. In those he scored 2 goals and notched 5 assists. To make matters worse, he never recovered from his failed stint at Old Trafford.

He did not play for any major European club for the rest of his career. He left for Besiktas, from where he eventually headed back to Brazil.

Anderson

The second Brazilian to head to Old Trafford was midfielder Anderson. It was the summer of 2008. In that year, among other things, the great talent won the Golden Boy award for the best under-21 footballer. He came to Manchester United from Porto.

Compared to Kléberson, he left a much bigger mark at Old Trafford. No Brazilian has played more games for the Red Devils than him. When he was fit, he entertained the fans. He had excellent technique, was really creative and a great showman.

In short, he had everything to become a legend. But people started talking about his poor lifestyle, which was sometimes obvious to see. Poor fitness, unstable form and numerous injuries did not help either.

Overall, however, no one at Old Trafford can remember Anderson in a bad way. He played 181 games for Manchester United, winning the Premier League four times, the Champions League or the Club World Cup once. In total, he won 10 trophies, scored 9 goals and added 21 assists.

After that, he didn’t make a proper impact anywhere. He never fulfilled his potential. He retired at the age of 31. What a shame.

Fabio and Rafael Da Silva

Popular twins who could have given their lives for their unit. But their fragility and then the stability of their performances prevented it. Both have been at the club since 2008. Rafael was seen as the more incisive player, but he had discipline problems and often played over the edge. However, perhaps his incisiveness is responsible for leaving a bigger mark on the club.

Both were great talents on the edge of defence. Rafael was seen as the successor to the legendary Gary Neville. But neither fulfilled their potential. But they always stepped up where they were needed. They have always done their part and sometimes more. And they didn’t cause problems.

Fabio went to Cardiff in the winter of 2014, Rafael to Lyon in the summer of 2015. The former played 56 games for the Red Devils, the latter 170, which puts him behind Anderson in the number of starts. Fabio has won 4 trophies with the club, Rafael 9.

Both players are still struggling with fragile health. Fabio is playing in Nantes, Rafael is back in Brazil, playing for Botafogo. They are 32 years old and have a few years left.

Andreas Pereira

Offensive midfielder, great kicking technique and great game overview. Does that remind you of anything? Unfortunately, Andreas Pereira’s fate at Old Trafford hasn’t exactly been kind to him either. He arrived from Eindhoven in January 2012, worked his way up through the youth teams to the first team, but didn’t play much there.

Overall, the skilful playmaker only managed to play 75 games for Manchester United, scoring 4 goals. More was expected of him. He didn’t fulfil his potential. He was supposed to be one of the driving forces of the new era of the Red Devils.

He’s currently playing for Fulham, where he’s still on a secure footing. He’s still only 26. So his career is definitely not over. On the contrary. He can still show he can play in the top flight.

Fred

It was 2018 when Manchester United didn’t hesitate to shell out almost 60 million euros for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder. Fred is still a Red Devils player to this day. He didn’t play much in his first season, but he gradually developed into a player who has a place in the team.

He doesn’t score many goals, he doesn’t get one assist after another, yet he can’t be denied the effort. He always has his contribution. If he didn’t cost so much, probably no one would say a single critical word.

But given his price, he should have done more. Currently his value is at a third of what he came in at.

He currently has 159 games for Manchester United.

Alex Telles

Before Casemiro, the last Brazilian to head to Old Trafford. He came for small money, but expectations were not low. He scored many goals in a Porto jersey, as well as threatening with his centres.

But England is not Portugal and Manchester United is not Porto. Alex Telles did not impress in a Red Devils jersey, but he did not disappoint either. In 50 games he scored a goal and added 9 assists. Not a bad record.

Now he’s off to Spain, specifically to Sevilla in Andalusia. That might suit him a little better.

Source: Manchester United