Casemiro will leave Manchester United after four years in the summer, but MUTV presenter Sam Homewood explains how the Brazilian icon shocked him after several encounters behind the scenes.
Even though Casemiro announced he would leave Manchester United at the end of the season, the 33-year-old remains one of the first names on the teamsheet.
That is partly because United decided not to sign a midfielder last summer. Another reason for that is that Manuel Ugarte has failed to cement a place in the team after struggling to adapt to the Premier League since his 2024 transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
What is your INSTANT REACTION to the news Casemiro will leave Man Utd at the end of 2025/26?
Do you think this is the right decision, and how do you feel about the timing of the announcement?
Casemiro exit
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As things stand, under Michael Carrick, Casemiro is a starter alongside Kobbie Mainoo. United now know they must plan for life without the former Real Madrid star, who will be representing Brazil at the World Cup this summer.
It remains to be seen if Casemiro will make a decision over his future club before or after the 2026 World Cup.
Casemiro warming up against Arsenal
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Sam Homewood shares insight from working with ‘friendly’ Casemiro
Although Casemiro was used to winning major honours every season at Real Madrid, including multiple Champions League triumphs, he has enjoyed his time at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has won just two trophies at United, including the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, both achieved under Erik ten Hag.
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The experienced midfielder was a key player under Ruben Amorim, too, even though he had to win over the support of his former head coach after being overlooked when he initially took charge of the team.
Speaking to United In Focus, MUTV presenter Sam Homewood has revealed how Casemiro’s personality surprised him, after working with the Brazilian as part of United’s media department.
“I spent some time with him,” Homewood said.
“Really enthusiastic. So, I was on tour with him twice and he was not like how I thought he would be.
“I thought he, because of his honours and his success and also the age that he joined United, was going to be this really serious sort of character. The sort of leader you imagine is not the same as Roy Keane, but it’s kind of like, these are the standards, this is what I’m trying to do. And if you can’t maintain them, I’m not bothered.
“But actually, he was super relaxed, really friendly, really chatty. He spoke to everybody around the club. He was always shaking people’s hands.
“If he knew, like, say, the social media guys were there filming something, then you know there’s that clip of him going, ‘good morning’, where he’s walking in, because he sees what’s happening and he’s happy to participate and be involved in it. And he genuinely loves being at United.
“And I think he was surprised having come from around Madrid to Man United because, I mean, you always say, like, if you leave United, you’re going down. And I imagine they say the same thing in Spanish. But I think he was immediately surprised at, actually, how supportive United are, how supported they are. And the culture of support is obviously so different to how it is in Spain. I genuinely think he loved it.”
What is your INSTANT REACTION to the news Casemiro will leave Man Utd at the end of 2025/26?
Do you think this is the right decision, and how do you feel about the timing of the announcement?
Casemiro exit
Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Sam Homewood interviewed Kobbie Mainoo after FA Cup win over Man City in 2024
Homewood has interviewed many of the United players as part of his work with MUTV.
As a United fan, Homewood has worked on MUTV since 2018 and continues to do commentary for matches.
In 2024, Homewood was on duty for the FA Cup final win over Man City at Wembley. He spoke to Kobbie Mainoo after the match, before summing it up for us, saying: “I did speak to him on the pitch at Wembley after we beat City because I did the interviews.
“I did the on-field interviews, and he obviously was the man of the match and was incredible. And we just had like a, just a little like congratulations, and he was like, ‘yeah, brilliant’. The sort of, exactly the sort of interaction that he would completely forget even happened. But my instinct was like, I wonder if I could grab him here for a little bit. But he, yeah, just in that moment, just, he was just a guy that was loving having just won the FA Cup.”
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