"Leave the football before the football leaves you." Jamie Carragher said that to Casemiro's face on national television in May 2024. Eleven months later, the Brazilian had nine Premier League goals, a Europa League final appearance, and his place back in Brazil's World Cup setup. Carragher had already issued a public U-turn by February.
That's not a redemption arc. That's a demolition job.
Casemiro will leave Old Trafford when his contract expires this summer, confirmed by Michael Carrick after United's 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday. The announcement back in January triggered something nobody expected: supporters pleading with him to stay. At 34, after two seasons where his United career looked finished before it officially was, that says everything about what he's produced.
How a player written off became indispensable
The low point came earlier this season — five consecutive league games as an unused substitute, with Ruben Amorim preferring Toby Collyer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe had already used Casemiro publicly as an example of the club's poor recruitment. His wages, close to £365,000 a week, made him an easy target. It looked terminal.
Then came Europa League football, and with it, a lifeline. Casemiro started both legs against Real Sociedad, both against Lyon, both against Athletic Bilbao, and the final against Tottenham. Amorim's assessment shifted entirely: "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."
His final season numbers: nine goals — second only to Benjamin Sesko across the competition — two assists, 2,417 minutes across 32 appearances with 31 starts. Seven starts in United's last nine games. That is not a player the football left behind.
Carrick's understanding made the difference
Part of this revival is structural. Under Carrick, United press higher and control more possession, which reduces the physical burden on an aging defensive midfielder. Fewer desperate sprints. More reading of the game — the part of Casemiro's skill set that age doesn't erode.
But the human element matters too. Carrick played the same position for United until his late 30s. He didn't need convincing that experience has value. "With a lot of experience you are trusting them to know themselves," Carrick said. "Knowing what he's good at and his strengths and what he can bring to the team." That specific, calibrated use of Casemiro is what Amorim — by his own admission — got wrong early on.
MLS or Saudi Arabia will likely be next, and whoever gets him gets a player who still knows exactly what he's doing. Any market pricing Casemiro as a fading commodity this summer should probably factor in that he just scored nine times from midfield at 34 in the Premier League. His exit tightens United's midfield depth odds for next season — this isn't a squad that can easily absorb that output.
As for the cautionary tale? Carrick pointed toward Mohamed Salah's drop-off at Liverpool — United's opponents this Sunday — as proof that going a year too long costs you. Casemiro is choosing not to find out. The football hasn't left him. He's leaving first.
