Manchester United superstar Casemiro is set to be named as the new international captain of Brazil, according to a recent report from South American sports media outlet UOL Esporte.

Casemiro has been selected as Brazil captain ahead of players such as Liverpool all-star Alisson, Neymar and Marquinhos, amongst several others.

The United star has won 72 caps for the Little Canary over the course of his illustrious career, scoring a pair of international goals along the way.

What has been said regarding the move?

In quotes featured on United in Focus, Brazil caretaker head coach Fernando Diniz said: “[Casemiro is a] very big player. Extremely technical. [He] knows a lot about the position. I’ve known him since Sao Paulo. He almost played with the number eight shirt. He is very intelligent, a great leader of our team.

“I had this conversation with him. I think he will benefit (from a more attacking role) a lot because he has a lot of quality, but sometimes that is hidden by his more protective role, and he ends up not appearing as much.”

Would Casemiro be a better choice as Manchester United captain than Bruno Fernandes?

For all of Bruno Fernandes’ talents, his tenure as United captain has been mixed at best and frustrating at worst. While he is a well-respected figure in the dressing room and is one of the Red Devils’ best players, his personality on the pitch does not translate very well into captaincy.

He has been criticised for his perceived lack of toughness – often going to ground under little pressure from challenges and perpetually complaining to the referee (which, ironically, is something a captain should be doing).

Casemiro, on the other hand, is a player who inspires those around him. He is an indefatigably hard worker, which is backed up by fantastic ability on the ball and a propensity for putting in bone-crunching challenges (which sometimes lead to him picking up disciplinary warnings).

He is certainly more of an archetypal ‘captain’ than Fernandes is – but stripping the existing dressing room leader of this title could lead to unfavourable disruptions within the team.