Casemiro, of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Steaua Stadium on January 31, 2025 in Bucharest, RomaniaCasemiro, of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Steaua Stadium on January 31, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania
Casemiro, of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Steaua Stadium on January 31, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania | Manchester United via Getty Imag
An out-of-favour Manchester United player is being linked with a move abroad this month
Manchester United return to Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon as Ruben Amorim’s side look to push themselves into the top half of the table.
The Red Devils advanced in the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Friday night. That set up a fifth-round home tie with Premier League rivals Fulham, who won 2-1 at Wigan Athletic in their fourth-round fixture. United’s Premier League form has been inconsistent of late with three defeats, one draw and two wins in their last six games.
Spurs have been in a slump for a number of months now but did win their last Premier League game with a 2-0 victory at Brentford. They had lost their last four games before that and they have lost to Liverpool and Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup since beating the Bees. Ahead of the meeting, a United player is being linked with a loan move away this month as some transfer windows across world football remain open.
Casemiro approached by Flamengo
Out-of-favour United midfielder Casemiro has been the subject of an approach from Brazilian side Flamengo, according to journalist Jorge Nicola. It has been suggested a loan move is possible but it is unclear if the Red Devils would be willing to meet Flamengo’s requests to seal a deal. The Brazilian transfer window remains open until the end of February so United are able to offload Casemiro to Flamengo if they wish to do so.
However, Flamengo are said to be keen for the Red Devils to pay the majority of the midfielder’s wages. The former Real Madrid star is believed to be one of the highest-paid players at Old Trafford and he will have one year remaining on his contract come the end of the season. Flamengo boss Filipe Luis “would love” to sign the player but a deal is said to be complicated because of the wages and whether United would sanction an exit outside of the Premier League transfer window. Brazilian rivals Sao Paulo are also said to be interested in the player but a move there is unlikely due to the finances involved.
Casemiro not in Ruben Amorim’s plans
The midfielder has been left on the bench for United’s last five Premier League outings. His last league appearance came against Newcastle United, in a game the Red Devils lost 2-0 at Old Trafford at the end of December. He came off the bench for the final minute against Leicester City and was also only used as a substitute in the 2-0 win over FCSB in the Europa League.
Speaking about Casemiro’s lack of involvement, Amorim said at the end of January: "Sometimes it's a system fit - sometimes it's the player's [form]. We know that Casemiro nowadays has other qualities. He's intelligent, understands the game and knows where the ball is going to be. But, we are in a league where there is a big intensity difference. Therefore I feel our team needs players with high intensity and sometimes we don't have them. We all know Casemiro's qualities and everything he has won, so I have nothing to add to that. It's just a selection choice."
In other news, former United manager Erik ten Hag could return to the dugout after reports in the Netherlands claimed he was being lined up as a target by one of his former Ajax rivals.
Related topics:LiverpoolCasemiroPremier LeagueRuben AmorimTottenham HotspurErik ten HagFA Cup
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.