In the immortal words of Rio Ferdinand, ‘Manchester United are back’ – and this time, it looks like they could be back for good. They’re on a brilliant run at the moment and one player in particular is experiencing an unexpected late-career revival.
His performances may have gone under the radar for some, but Casemiro has been outstanding for United in recent weeks. Many believed he was too old and limited to truly thrive in Ruben Amorim’s system, but he is proving the doubters wrong.
One such doubter is Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher, who urged the Brazilian legend to retire in 2024 after a poor series of games.
Rio Ferdinand did not take kindly to this. Even now, the former United man is unhappy with Carragher’s comments, branding them ‘highly disrespectful’ in a YouTube video.
What did Rio Ferdinand say about Jamie Carragher’s comments?
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, Ferdinand exclaimed: “[Casemiro] built a stellar career, a five-time Champions League-winning career, on the back of being the glue, the person that knitted the backline and midfield together and just plugged the gaps.
“He wasn’t asked to run all over the place, or be the creator. He was the one who was mopping up and doing all the dirty work and marshalling an area. And recently, this is what we’ve seen, we’ve seen something like the old Casemiro.
“It takes me back to what was said by Jamie Carragher about ‘leave the game [before the game leaves you]’.
“At the time, I thought it was highly disrespectful when you’re talking about a five-time Champions League winner who is going through maybe a changing approach to football at a time where he looked out of sorts.
“Players lose confidence, players lose form. But I think the call was too early, and it was highly disrespectful for someone that has achieved so much in the game.”
Is Casemiro experiencing an ‘Indian summer’ in his late career?
Amorim seems to have identified what makes Casemiro such a great player. He isn’t a creative midfielder, nor is he particularly energetic, but his ball-winning capabilities are second to none. This is how he was used during his best years at Real Madrid – now, Amorim is keen to bring the best out of him once again.
Now that Amorim has United’s defensive shape dialled in, teams are often funnelled into the centre – giving Casemiro all the opportunity he needs to make a tackle, block or interception.
Playing in a midfield two could initially seem problematic for an aging player such as Casemiro, but this is negated by how narrow United are off the ball. Any attempts to play through them are quickly snuffed out.
To conclude, Casemiro is having something of a career revival in 2025/26, but this is largely down to Amorim’s tactical eye. He has found a perfect role for the five-time Champions League winner – it now makes sense as to why United didn’t sign a central midfielder in the summer transfer window, realising they could wait to address that area of the team.