Casemiro’s Manchester United career has been in jeopardy more than once since joining the team in 2022. Following the Brazilian midfielder’s poor performance in the 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace in May 2024, pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher insisted time had run out for him. He urged Casemiro to finish the season and then seek to move to the American League or Saudi Arabia.
“I always remember the old saying: ‘Leave football before football leaves you,’” Carragher said of a brutal takedown. “Football left him. At this higher level, he has to finish it and move on.”
Three weeks later, Casemiro was named on the bench for the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Before kick-off, he told coach Erik ten Hag that he was not 100% fit and did not want to be part of the team. After the shock 2-1 win, he only briefly attended the post-match celebrations before rushing off on holiday with his family.
It was a surprise that he stayed during the summer transfer window in 2024, but it was not long before Casemiro faced another setback. With United trailing 2-0 at home to Liverpool in the third match of the 2024-25 season, he was substituted at half-time by Ten Hag and replaced by youngster Toby Collier, who made his Premier League debut. Casemiro would start just two more league matches before Ten Hag was sacked.
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Ten Hag’s replacement, Ruben Amorim, was not immediately convinced of Casemiro’s value either. During the Brazilian’s long spell out of the team in December and January, the Portuguese coach wondered if he could still cope with the demands of the Premier League. “We know that these days Casemiro has other qualities,” Amorim said in January. “He’s smart, he understands the game and he knows where the ball is going to be. But we’re in a league where there’s a big difference in strength. So I feel like our team needs players with high intensity and sometimes we don’t have them.”
“We all know Casemiro’s qualities and everything he won, so I have nothing to add to that. It’s just a choice.”
It has been nearly 11 months since Amorim appeared to have written off Casemiro. However, he has now not only returned to the United squad, but has been held up as an example to the rest of the team of what can happen with the right determination and dedication.
With Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee not getting game time and linked to a move away, it is important that Amorim can point to a player who has successfully come back from the brink.
“I showed them that Casemiro was not part of the starting lineup. He was at the back, then he fought,” Amorim said earlier this month. “He won the place, and if you win the place, you play. So I think that helped them understand that I’m trying to be fair, and they are part of something that is very special and very important to us.”
Casemiro has played a vital role in United’s improvement this season. Of the 20 goals conceded by Amorim in all competitions, the 33-year-old midfielder went off the pitch in 15 of them. Twice in their last three matches, against Brighton (4-2 win) and Tottenham (2-2 draw), United kept a clean sheet up until the moment they were substituted, before conceding two goals. With Maino out of action and Manuel Ugarte struggling to keep up with the pace of the Premier League when he comes off the bench, Amorim will have to carefully monitor Casemiro’s minutes.
“I think he brings a lot of experience, he is an example for everyone,” the United coach said after the 4-2 win over Brighton.
“He’s very important for us. He runs a lot, he has to press high and then he comes back and he does that. So I’m very happy for him and the other players should look at Casemiro.” “We realize that football can change very quickly. All you have to do is work with me if you are the best or I think you are the best to play the game. You will play the game if you do the right things. In the beginning he was behind every midfielder, even Toby (Collier). But he fought and worked and now he is back in the national team.”
Casemiro’s return to the Brazil national team – which will face Senegal at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday – has been helped by the appointment of his former Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, as head coach. While the relationship between Casemiro and Amorim is said to be professional without being overly warm, the relationship between Casemiro and Ancelotti is so strong that the Italian cried when told of Casemiro’s £60m move to United in August 2022. The duo have won the Champions League together three times, and when Ancelotti named his first Brazilian squad in May, Casemiro was immediately called up despite not playing for his country in nearly 20 months.
“In my opinion, he is a great player,” Ancelotti said at the time. “I was lucky to be with him (at Real Madrid) and I think the national team needs this kind of player with charisma, character and talent. Brazil has always had a lot of talent. In modern football, you have to add attitude, commitment and sacrifice, and Casemiro has that.”
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Casemiro will almost certainly be part of Brazil’s World Cup squad next summer, but what happens next is still up in the air.
Casemiro’s contract with United is scheduled to expire next June. Not long ago, it was seen as a formality to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer, but he has been so good that the door was left open for him to stay if he agreed to a significant pay cut. He is one of their highest-paid players, and United are keen to continue taking steps to reduce their wage bill following the departure of high-paid players such as David De Gea, Raphael Varane and Marcus Rashford.
“We don’t know what will happen,” Amorim said of Casemiro’s contract situation. “My goal is to keep counting with Casemiro. I don’t know what will happen. Let’s focus on this season. I’m really happy with Casemiro, he’s really important.”
Casemiro has settled in Manchester, and while nothing has been ruled out, those close to him say he is unlikely to stay. If he leaves, his priority will be to consider offers from Europe. After that, he will consider options in MLS or Saudi Arabia – a return to Brazil would be a last resort. His future at United may depend on whether they decide to sign one or two midfielders next summer, and whether Maino and/or Ugarte stay.
Whatever happens, Casemiro, who turns 34 in February, wants to keep playing. “I started playing again, and I played well,” Casemiro told ESPN. “You have to keep focusing and working. We (United) have to try to keep the rhythm, keep the focus. We are having a good dynamic, a good moment, but the Premier League is very difficult, and every match is a battle.”
In Casemiro, Amorim has found a player he can rely on in the trenches. His influence has grown to the point that there are legitimate questions about how well the team performs when he is not on the field.
It wasn’t long until Casemiro’s career at the highest level seemed dead and buried. Now he’s the one helping keep United alive.
