Casemiro: Man Utd star played without a boot vs Barcelona | OneFootball

It hasn't taken long for Casemiro to become a popular figure at Manchester United.

The Brazil international only arrived at Old Trafford last summer. In fact, he was signed after the 2022/23 season had kicked off.

But in a relatively short space of time, Casemiro has grown into a firm fan favourite.

Much of that is down to the midfielder's masterful performances, which have helped transform United as a unit.

As well as being a regular world-class operator, Casemiro's passion and love for the game have played a big role in his rapid status elevation.

The five-time Champions League winner always gives 110% out on the pitch (we apologise for the cliché) and that's what every single fan wants to see.

There are many videos which sum up Casemiro's elite mentality from down the years - and a new one has emerged from United's 2-2 draw with Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League.

At one point in the hugely entertaining fixture, the ex-Real Madrid man spent a brief period of time playing without a boot on.

Casemiro removed part of his footwear and then decided to continue running around in order to not negatively impact the rest of the team.

In truth, he probably should have just waited for a break in play to take the boot off, but United fans are loving the footage nonetheless...

Man Utd fans react to Casemiro clip

In the eyes of United supporters, the guy can do no wrong.

Even when he picked up a red card against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, the fans didn't really turn on him in any shape or form.

On top of winning over the supporters quickly, Casemiro has already earned the respect of various United legends - Paul Scholes in particular.

Before the match against Barcelona on Thursday, Scholes spoke in-depth about Casemiro and compared him to the great Roy Keane.

Scholes: 'Casemiro as close to Keane as I've seen'

"You can see the big difference when he's not in the team," Scholes said. "You think of the Arsenal game when he wasn't there. I always talk about having a coach on the football pitch, almost being the manager on the pitch and for Ten Hag, he's that man. He knows where he wants everybody to be.

"And I've said this before, I'm a little bit surprised by the quality of his play because in Madrid it was all about Kroos and Modric. But his passes forward, his awareness of people around him, he's been fantastic.

"People say he's a holding midfield player. I don't see that. I think he does everything. He's as close to Roy Keane as I've seen.

"As a Man United midfield player, you should be involved in everything, you should be able to go forward, you should be able to play a pass and help and defend. I think he's been fantastic."

Praise of the highest order right there.