Manchester United have confirmed that new signing Casemiro will don the No.18 shirt following his arrival from Real Madrid earlier this week.
The 30-year-old, who won five Champions League titles during his time in the Spanish capital, has joined United on a four-year deal, with the option to extend his stay by a further year. The Reds have splashed out an initial fee of £60million to land the vastly experienced midfielder.
His arrival at Old Trafford has significantly strengthened manager Erik ten Hag's squad, not least his midfield options. United have been desperate to add a midfielder to their ranks all summer but were prioritising the signing of Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong.
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However, ongoing issues with that particular deal forced United to look elsewhere for an alternative option. In Casemiro, who is a different kind of player to De Jong, United have solved a long-term issue, bringing in a much-needed defensive midfielder.
The Brazilian is considered one of the very best defensive-midfield players in the world, meaning his presence should make a notable difference to the way United play. He is a world-class operator, capable of breaking up play and being aware of everything going on around him.
In some senses, Casemiro will offer similar qualities to those that Paul Scholes used to offer the Reds. And it is the former England international that the former Madrid ace admired while growing up, admitting that he was one of his idols.
"Well, there are many players... I think there are players that you remember in your life," Casemiro told United's club website. "He's [Scholes] a player that was small but he got stuck in, he was a fighter, he gave everything on the pitch.
"His passing over 50 to 70 metres was incredible. Manchester United have always [had] good players in that position.
"[Michael] Carrick was also a great player so I think that Manchester United have always had good players in that position and in midfield. The little guy [Scholes] was very good and what I loved about him when he played was that he was small but he went in hard and fair."
Interestingly, Scholes, of course, used to wear the No.18 shirt for United, meaning that might have served as inspiration for Casemiro to snap up the iconic number. Scholes wore that number for almost the entirety of his Reds career, donning it between 1996 and 2011.
It was most recently worn by Bruno Fernandes, who moved to the No.8 shirt during the off-season following Juan Mata's exit at the end of last season. That meant the No.18 shirt was available for any new signing to snap up this summer.
Ashley Young, Fernandes and Casemiro are the only three players to have worn it since Scholes retired.
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