Breaking: Ancelotti confirms Casemiro’s transfer to Manchester United

, who is following the way of his former teammates

and Raphael Varane, is a five-time Champions League winner with Madrid and has long established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Being confident

can replace Casemiro with what they already have in their squad,

told his Friday press conference:

"Casemiro has been a key player, who fits perfectly with Kroos and Luka Modric. It's been an incredible combination for all the success we've had in the last few years.

"Within the squad we have a lot of good replacements. Tchouameni was signed in order to play in this position. We have some other options like Kroos who can play in this position, as he did in the second year I was here as a coach back in 2014 when we won 22 games in a row.

"Replacing Casemiro with another player with his same skills is difficult but we have other players ready to replace him with other characteristics. They can play in this position, but not with the same skills.

"We need to keep in mind that a player like Casemiro, defensively, is more similar to Tchouameni than Kroos, but Toni has some different characteristics and can also play in that position."

Mentioning the aged

as a potential replacement for Casemiro, the German midfielder displayed his ball-winning abilities in the Super Cup as he regained possession nine times. However, the

international previously stated he does not enjoy playing in a holding role. Ancelotti added:

"He has never told me that. If he tells me that, it doesn't matter, he will play there!"

Being asked about Casemiro's reasons to leave the reigning Champions League and La Liga champions, Ancelotti said:

"I cannot answer. It's his personal decision, he wants to try a new challenge and he's the one who has to explain this.

"Something similar happened when I was Milan's coach. I was feeling really good but I wanted to try something new, even if I was feeling very well there because that club was a family to me, but I thought about trying something new, a new experience, another league and language. It's personal but I understand it.

"He shows his will for this new challenge. We have to respect it. We are not sad, not angry, but at a personal level when you spend so many years with this kind of player, so kind, so professional, it's normal that you're not happy, but we will show respect for his decision."

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