Casemiro hails Kovacic as an unbelievable player
Casemiro called kovacic an "amazing, unbelievable player" while urging him to stay calm when he is not playing regularly. The Manchester United midfielder praised his former Real Madrid teammate as Kovacic has spent much of this campaign trying to work back from an injury-hit season at Manchester City.
Casemiro and Kovacic at Real Madrid
The praise carried weight because the two shared three seasons at Real Madrid, where Kovacic won three Champions League titles and one La Liga crown. Casemiro said he respects the midfielder’s desire to play, but added that he needed to keep his head strong when selection did not go his way.
"I like Real Madrid because you don’t look back, it’s next," Casemiro said on Rio Ferdinand Presents. "For me, the most important thing for players in Madrid is about here [points to head]." He then singled out Kovacic: "For example, amazing player, Mateo Kovacic."
Manchester City Minutes
Kovacic’s current situation is sharper than the praise around it. He has been sidelined by an Achilles problem and then an ankle issue, has played three times in the Premier League this season, all as a substitute, and returned to fitness in March.
His workload has stayed limited since then. He played 24 minutes in the Premier League in April across two substitute appearances and was an unused substitute when Manchester City beat Brentford 3-0 on Saturday.
That is the friction point in the story: a midfielder who has won the Champions League with Chelsea and the Premier League with Manchester City is still fighting for rhythm, while the player who knows Real Madrid’s standards best is publicly backing his mentality. Casemiro put it simply: "He won the Champions League with Chelsea, he plays for City, he’s an unbelievable, unbelievable player."
Kovacic’s season strain
Kovacic signed for Real Madrid from Inter Milan in 2015 and left for Chelsea in 2018, but his Madrid spell is the part Casemiro chose to revisit. He said the midfielder sometimes wanted to play when he was not selected and repeated that the response had to come from the head first: "No, you need to be strong here [head]."
For Manchester City, the immediate issue is simple. Kovacic has only three Premier League appearances this campaign, each from the bench, and even after returning in March he was still left on the sideline for a 3-0 win that offered no minutes. Casemiro’s words now sit as a blunt reminder that the next step for Kovacic is not just fitness, but staying ready for the next call.
