Manchester United eased to a 2-0 victory over PAOK Salonika in the Europa League on Thursday night, extending Ruud van Nistelrooy’s impressive run as interim manager.

Although they saw just 53% possession, Man United were comfortable on the ball, proving to be effective at passing and improving their build-up play significantly compared to earlier in the season under Erik ten Hag.

The fact that United had a grand total of 16 shots and the visitors only had eight demonstrates how much United has tightened up at the back and increased the amount of midfield pressure they put on the opponent.

Casemiro was the driving force behind United’s midfield success.

PAOK had a rare close-range attempt on goal early in the first half, but Casemiro courageously blocked it when goalie Andre Onana did not appear to be able to save it. The Brazilian’s move may have changed the outcome of the game in United’s favor.

In addition to blocking this shot, Casemiro produced a tackle, clearance, and interception, making for a well-rounded defensive performance to provide ample support to his back four.

Perhaps we will have to wait for Amorim to come to find a way to optimize his old player Ugarte. With the current situation at Man United, especially playing with Casemiro in the last 2 matches, this Uruguayan midfielder is not showing his ability.

Ugarte has the lowest scores in the Man Utd squad in the last 2 matches. In last night’s match when playing with Casemiro, Ugarte only passed the ball 35 times. A very small number for a central midfielder accompanied by 2/8 successful challenges.

The ability to pass as well as softness is something Ugarte is very poor at. Playing with Casemiro as he is now, firstly, does not complement each other, secondly, if we only consider the CDM reference system, Casemiro can easily overwhelm Ugarte.

Casemiro was as physically strong as ever, winning six of his eight total duels. He came off best in four of his six ground duels while winning both of his aerial battles on the night.

The only issue with the midfielder’s defensive showing was a slight lack of discipline. Casemiro gave away three fouls, picking up a yellow card in the process.

Casemiro’s passing game was also near its peak, with 47 of his 58 attempted passes finding their mark for an 81% passing accuracy.

One of his two crosses found their target, as did two of his three long balls.

The centre-mid’s playmaking abilities were also on display as he supplied two key passes.

Having completed his only dribbling attempt on the night, Casemiro’s shooting was one of his only underwhelming areas of play. He took three shots, two of which were off-target and one which was blocked.

Ultimately, it was a respectable performance from Casemiro. He has rediscovered his consistency in recent times, overcoming a patch of underwhelming performances and proving once again why he is a key component of United’s midfield.