When Man Utd take the field against Everton to resume action after a 12-day break, Casemiro will be the most important player in the team, and he will have added motivation.
For a five-time Champions League winner, a Monday night game away at Everton might not feel like a big occasion, but Casemiro’s story is different.
That is because Everton were the opposition against whom he had his “welcome to the Premier League” moment, for good and bad.
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About four years on from that game, he can go full circle against the same opposition as he winds down his Premier League tenure.
Casemiro of Manchester United celebrates during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Everton FC at Old Trafford on December 1, 2024
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Casemiro’s “Welcome to Premier League” game vs Everton
It was October 9, 2022, and Everton hosted Man Utd at Goodison Park, having been one of the bogey teams for the club.
Erik ten Hag had started to find his feet at the club after starting the season with back-to-back brutal losses against Brighton and Brentford.
Casemiro was a key part of that resurgence, bought after those infamous losses, and became the “cement between the stones”, as Ten Hag put it.
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However, this Everton game followed a 6-3 loss against City, so a response was needed quickly.
Just five minutes into the game, Casemiro grabbed the headlines, but in the worst possible way.
Shocked by the pace and physicality of the league, he meekly surrendered possession to send Alex Iwobi through on goal, leaving United trailing after just five minutes.
Casemiro looked in a daze, but things didn’t get any better as it turned into a quintessential “Welcome to the Premier League” game for the Brazilian.
However, he soon showed in the same game why he’s so decorated, as he assisted Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner with a brilliant pass to secure three points for United.
It set United back on their way as they managed a five-game unbeaten run, but Casemiro will forever remember that game as the one where he realised the challenge in front of him.
Casemiro’s full-circle moment vs Everton
The Casemiro of 2026 has seen a lot of things in his career that the 2022 version didn’t.
He has been hailed as a saviour, cast as the villain, became a scapegoat, bounced back to relevance, and is now so good that his departure is being lamented.
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The Everton game comes at the perfect time for him, as United need three points to keep up their Champions League charge.
By now, Casemiro is well-versed with the Premier League playbook, and Michael Carrick’s system is helping him rediscover his best form.
In contrast, Everton struggle at home, and the mistakes that Casemiro had in his game back then have been erased with experience.
As the clock winds down on his PL career, the Brazilian can put in one final maverick performance to stamp his own authority on the league.
What better way to do it than against the team that exposed you in England?
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