Casemiro has spoken out about his playing time – or lack thereof – under Ruben Amorim, and while the midfielder wants more minutes, TEAMtalk understands Manchester United are actively exploring sale opportunities.
Eyebrows were raised when Casemiro joined Man Utd for £60m (rising to £70m through add-ons) while aged 30. The Brazilian made an instant impact in his first season at Old Trafford, though given his age his influence was always going to be short-lived.
The last 18 months have have left a lot to be desired from an on-field perspective, with Casemiro noticeably struggling with the pace and intensity of the Premier League. Indeed, Amorim himself previously admitted his ageing midfielder can no longer keep up.
Casemiro was an unused substitute in nine of United’s last 14 Premier League matches. His recent string of appearances has coincided with Amorim being down to the bare bones due to midfield injuries.
Yet despite his advancing age, Casemiro is not content to be a bit-part player and has voiced his desire to play far more regularly for Man Utd.
“Of course I want to play,” Casemiro said. “But I always say – and these are my values – I respect the coach a lot, I respect the club. Every day I go to Carrington or Old Trafford I try to do my best.
“If a player is on the bench and is happy, that player is not worth anything for any team. Of course I want to play, I want to have more minutes, but the coach is the one who makes the decisions, and I have a lot of respect for him and for the club.
“It’s too soon to talk about next season but, of course, I have another year of contract and then an option. We have important games and on Sunday we have Arsenal. It’s too soon to talk about next season.
“I’m here, I’m available, with total happiness, and I’m ready for the coach and the club. As everyone knows, I’m a big character for the club. As I said, every time I go to Carrington or Old Trafford I try to do my best. That’s my biggest quality.”
Casemiro sale a priority for Man Utd
As Casemiro mentioned, his existing contract with United runs until the end of the 2025/26 season. United also hold an option to extend by a further year if they wish.
However, Man Utd actively sought exit opportunities for Casemiro in both of the last two transfer windows and TEAMtalk has been informed a sale will again be chased in the summer.
Reporter Rudy Galetti told TEAMtalk in late-February that Man Utd are determined to cut costs and ridding their books of high-earning stars like Casemiro has become a priority. The midfielder is United’s highest earning player, pocketing £350,000-a-week.
But with Casemiro happy in Manchester and unwilling to accept a pay-cut, the list of suitors willing to take a chance on the Brazilian is currently blank.
If Man Utd are to offload Casemiro, one of the two parties will have to sacrifice on their demands in order to attract meaningful interest.
Latest Man Utd news – Amorim under attack
In other news, pundit Jamie Carragher has outlined why he believes Amorim is doing a worse job at Man Utd than Ten Hag.
Writing in his column forthe Telegraph, Carragher stressed sacking former boss Ten Hag was the right decision to make.
However, Carragher claimed Amorim’s failure to do the bare minimum expected at Old Trafford – ensuring the squad are better coached than during Ten Hag’s reign – has left the Portuguese ‘drowning.’
‘No players have improved under Portuguese coach and it is difficult to even say that team are better prepared now than under Erik ten Hag,’ wrote Carragher.
He added: ‘It is always going to take some time for new ideas to be implemented and work, especially when a coach is working with someone else’s players.
‘No one expected it would get even worse. When watching United now, the question I cannot shake off is: “How bad is this going to get?”
‘This is the worst United team of my lifetime and the bare minimum that could have been expected after Amorim took charge, that the team would look like they are being coached better than they were under Ten Hag, has not materialised.’
Carragher went on to list no fewer than SIX current Premier League managers who are putting Amorim to shame.
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