"Leave the football before the football leaves you." Jamie Carragher said that about Casemiro in May 2024. By the time the Brazilian walks out of Old Trafford this summer, he'll have answered that with nine league goals, two assists, 31 starts, and a run to a Europa League final. Not a bad rebuttal.
The timing of Carragher's verdict matters. He delivered it on Monday Night Football after United were hammered 4-0 at Crystal Palace, with Casemiro looking every bit the burnt-out, overpaid midfielder critics suspected he was. Sir Jim Ratcliffe had already name-dropped him as an example of poor recruitment. Erik ten Hag's United were quietly shopping him around. He was earning close to £365,000-a-week and offering very little in return.
How Amorim changed everything — then admitted he got it wrong too
Even the Casemiro revival wasn't linear. When Ruben Amorim took over from Ten Hag, things got worse before they got better. Across five Premier League matches in January — against Liverpool, Arsenal, Southampton, Brighton and Fulham — Casemiro didn't get off the bench. Toby Collyer, a 21-year-old, was preferred as an impact substitute. It looked terminal.
Then Amorim turned to the Europa League, and Casemiro's season transformed. League starts at Spurs and Everton. Both legs against Real Sociedad in the last 16. Both legs against Lyon in the quarters. The semi-final win over Athletic Bilbao. The final against Spurs. Amorim didn't just use him — he built around him.
"In the beginning he was behind every midfielder, even Toby, but he fought and he worked, and now he is back in the national team," Amorim said. That last part matters: Casemiro is a first-choice midfielder for Brazil again, heading into a World Cup cycle. Carragher, to his credit, reversed his position in February. "It is now fair to say the football has not left him," he said.
Why the exit still makes sense
None of this means United should be trying to keep him. Michael Carrick — who played the same role at United well into his late 30s — confirmed after the 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday that Casemiro's decision stands. At 34, turning 35 this summer, that's the right call.
The article draws a comparison to Mohamed Salah's drop-off at Liverpool this season, and it's apt. There's a version of this story where Casemiro stays one year too long and the legacy curdles. Instead, he's leaving with his reputation rebuilt, his fitness intact, and options — MLS or Saudi Arabia most likely — still on the table.
For United's midfield planning, his exit creates a real gap. Casemiro's nine league goals this season made him their second-highest scorer behind only Benjamin Sesko. A defensive midfielder registering that kind of output from a side that's struggled for goals all season is not easily replaced. Anyone pricing United's top-four push next season needs to factor that in.
"It takes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of work to play for a long time," Carrick said. "To do what he's done over a long period of time takes a lot of work and deserves a lot of credit."
He's not wrong. Casemiro spent the first half of this season warming a bench while a teenager got minutes ahead of him. He didn't sulk his way out. He waited, worked, and ended up in a European final. That's the story he's leaving with.
