"Marcus [Rashford] has took the headlines but I think if you look at Casemiro, the team is so different when he’s not playing, just in every phase," Owen Hargreaves told club media. "It affects David De Gea, it affects the back four, it affects the midfield balance.
"Marcus will get the headlines and rightly so because he’s been devastating in a way. Casemiro is the glue guy. It’d be a tough call, I want to give it to Marcus but I feel like Casemiro has taken the team to the next level."
Explaining what has impressed him about Casemiro, he added: "Just his consistency. I think that’s the one thing. There’s been so many great players here, but the great, great ones are consistent.
"You think of Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, they are seven out of 10 pretty much every game and sometimes they’re an eight or a nine, and rarely they have a five out of 10 game.
"I think Casemiro does that. He’s always a seven, eight out of 10, he rarely ever makes mistakes. The thing that I love, I think it maybe surprises a few people, but as good as he is defensively, his first pass is always forward.
"Sir Alex always said: 'When you win the ball back, play forward.' He wins it and he passes forward, he gets it to Bruno or he gets it to Eriksen, who play in Marcus or any of the attacking players. Casemiro has been fabulous, he’s winning the ball back, he’s protecting the team but also, he’s a fabulous passer of the ball going forward."
Rashford has registered 27 goals and 10 assists in 47 appearances this season, while Casemiro has managed 11 goal contributions from his midfield position.
They are both expected to feature against Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday.
