Casemiro is officially a Manchester United player.

After months and months of chasing Frenkie de Jong to no avail, the Red Devils have finally plugged their gap in defensive midfield which has yawned ever since father time caught up with Nemanja Matic.

The Old Trafford faithful have been tearing their hair out at the ineffectual pairing of Fred and Scott McTominay at the base of their midfield, crying out for the likes of Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Boubacar Kamara in recent years to finally give their back line the protection it needs.

Man Utd sign Casemiro

But alas, out of nowhere, United fans have been presented with a better solution than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams in the form of Real Madrid legend Casemiro.

A five-time Champions League winner who formed a midfield trio for the ages with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Casemiro has all the makings of exactly the player Erik ten Hag needs as a vertebrae in his United spine.

And while, yes, signing a 30-year-old on bumper wages probably isn't the path that United really want to be taking in the long run, you'd still be hard-pressed saying 'no' to an undoubtedly world-class player.

However, given that United have had so many problems with their midfield over the past half-decade, how does Casemiro actually fit in and how will Ten Hag get his central players singing off his hymn sheet?

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Four ways Man Utd can line up with Casemiro

Well, sadly, we don't have a secret camera in Ten Hag's Carrington office that would provide the answer to that question, but we have, nevertheless, tried our best to imagine what will be going through his head.

And the result is four exciting ways that United could line up with Casemiro ranging from the most likely solution to potential experiments, so be sure to check out what you might expect to see in the coming months down below:

4-3-3

It will come as absolutely no shock to learn that Casemiro is a defensive midfielder by trade, so the most likely way forward for Ten Hag will be deploying the Brazilian at the base of the 4-3-3 formation that he's made his own.

Casemiro is the definition of a 'destroyer' who can drop deep into the back four as a third centre-back, cover for the full-backs during transitions, dominate in the air and kickstart passing moves up the pitch.

In other words, he's the perfect one-man-band to screen United's back-line and therefore take some of the load off Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes, who can breathe a little more and really start pulling the strings in attack.

4-2-3-1

However, if United do fancy channelling the double pivot once again, then they can upgrade the 'McFred' partnership to the pairing that we so often see for Brazil. Does 'Fredemiro' have a ring to it?

Not only will this free up United's full-backs to push higher up the pitch safe in the knowledge that the defence is being sufficiently screened, but it will also start to bring out the best in Fred that we often see whenever he's not anchored to the number six role.

The same can also be said for McTominay as the presence of Casemiro will mean that any potential double pivot partner will be far better protected and able to fulfil a more box-to-box-like role in possession.

Ajax carbon copy

Ultimately just a maturation of the 4-3-3 that we've already outlined, but think of this as an evolution - an upgrade, if you will - to the first option for when United really get the hang of 'Ten Hag Ball' and don't need to abandon it as was necessary in the Liverpool win.

And to truly embody the spirit of Ten Hag's Ajax Champions League semi-finalists, each midfield role must be clearly defined.

Casemiro would once again hold the fort, joined by Diogo Dalot from time to time when the back four moves into an 'elbow' shape in possession, while Eriksen works as a box-to-box go-between and Donny van de Beek hopefully reprises the very role he executed to perfection in Amsterdam.

With Fernandes yet to really find the groove that he showed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this system could well be a long-term target for Ten Hag as the United players gradually get to grips with his philosophy.

Three at the back

Look, Ten Hag is a man who likes four at the back, so it's unlikely that we'd see a formation cut from the Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte cloth unless he's seeing out a game, but it's nevertheless nice to have the option.

In this more experimental look for United, Casemiro would take on the N'Golo Kante role, mopping up any and every loose ball in the opposition midfield even when subjected to overloads as Dalot and Tyrell Malacia push extremely far forward.

This formation would also suit Harry Maguire down to the ground as he looks far more comfortable in a back three, so it's not from without the realms of possibility that Ten Hag could flirt with it.

Exactly what Man Utd need

Just looking at those line-up graphics makes you feel more secure, right, United fans?

It's been far, far too long since the Red Devils had a traditional defensive midfielder to call upon and it instantly streamlines the centre of the pitch, allowing players like McTominay and Fred to shine in ways that they've been unable to in recent years.

Suddenly, United aren't having to try and fix a leak by sticking 47 different plasters over the hole, but have turned up to the problem with exactly the right part to plug it all in one.

Casemiro won't solve every problem at the 'Theatre of Dreams' this season, don't get it twisted, but even just buying a defensive midfielder - never mind a world-class one - is a gigantic step in the right direction.