Manchester United great Gary Neville explains his Casemiro call on Monday Night Football

Gary Neville explained why he chose Casemiro as his signing of the season in the Premier League, saying Manchester United would not have been anywhere near the top four without him.

Casemiro arrived from Real Madrid in a deal worth up to £70million last summer, penning a four-year deal. The 31-year-old was by no means Erik ten Hag's first choice midfield option - he spent all summer trying to sign Frenkie De Jong - and his arrival drew some criticism as a perceived continuation of the club's recent short-termism.

However, his elite mentality and leadership has dragged United forward throughout a brilliant season. Ten Hag's side brought a trophy to Old Trafford for the first time in six years when they won the Carabao Cup in February, and are just a point away from securing Champions League football for next season.

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"I couldn’t pick Haaland [due to naming him as the player of the season], I think he’s had the biggest impact on his team," Neville told Sky Sports. "I couldn’t think of a player having as big an impact on his team singularly and I look at Manchester United’s season, obviously they think they’re going to finish in the top four if they finish the job this week, they’ve won the Carabao Cup and they’re in the FA Cup final.

"I genuinely don’t think they’d be anywhere near top four or doing what they’re doing in those competitions if it wasn’t for Casemiro. The impact he’s had on that team, he makes them 20-30 per cent better. This is a signing for now, I have doubts about him on a five-year deal and the expense of it, I’ve still got those doubts and I should mention that, but in terms of when he’s not playing and when he’s playing, the