The ‘cement between the stones’ or a financial weight around Manchester United’s neck?
As Casemiro enters the final stage of his Old Trafford career, after the club announced he will leave at the end of the season, opinion will be divided on whether it was all worth it.
He was a prime example of United’s overspending in the summer of 2022, coming through the door with another expensive Brazilian, Antony.
Erik ten Hag had set his heart on Frenkie De Jong, but United’s failed pursuit of the Barcelona star left them short of a world-class midfielder.
Real Madrid couldn’t turn down £70million for a player who had already turned 30, and Casemiro couldn’t believe United were willing to pay him a basic wage of £375,000 a week.
For that money, they were getting a five-time Champions League winner and seasoned Brazil international; someone who arrived in Manchester with a glittering CV and the highest standards of professionalism.
Casemiro will wave goodbye to Manchester United at the end of the season, it was announced on Thursday
He was a prime example of United’s overspending in the summer of 2022, coming through the door with another expensive Brazilian, Antony
Casemiro arrived with a glittering CV as a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, but didn’t always live up to his reputation at Old Trafford
But when Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his minority takeover and had a look under the hood, Casemiro was one of the players he said that Ineos had ‘inherited’, admitting that some were ‘overpaid’ and others weren’t good enough.
Casemiro would only have fallen into the first of those two categories. United have been trying to drive down their wage bill by offloading the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, and no one earns more than the Brazilian, who turns 34 next month.
His four-year contract contains an option on the club’s side to extend it by another 12 months, but it has been clear for some time that they were not going to do that.
Once United allowed it to drift into the final six months, beyond January 1 when his representatives were able to open talks with foreign clubs, there was only going to be one outcome.
Sources said on Thursday that the decision was made far in advance of the announcement, to avoid incorrect speculation that Casemiro could stay longer and to give his camp time to prepare their next move.
They also noted that his departure will clear significant space in the budget to make new signings, the day after it emerged that United have dropped out of the top five of Deloitte’s highest-earning football clubs worldwide for the first time.
Casemiro’s relationship with Erik ten Hag (left) never really recovered after the Brazilian was absent for the FA Cup victory over Manchester City
He did have several bright spots in a United shirt – including an excellent performance against Newcastle in the 2023 Carabao Cup final
So Casemiro will leave after four years at Old Trafford which cost United £78m in wages in addition to the £70m transfer fee. There is no re-sale value. If the player ends up in Saudi Arabia, he could earn even more there.
For that financial outlay, the club won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Casemiro was a key figure in the first success during an excellent first season under Ten Hag who coined the ‘cement between the stones’ line. He was excellent against Newcastle at Wembley in February 2023, heading United in front on the way to their first trophy in six years.
But when they returned there the following year against Manchester City, he dropped out of the squad due to injury amid speculation he was being benched anyway. As United celebrated at the Marriott Mayfair that night, Casemiro was already on a private jet with his family heading for South America.
If his relationship with Ten Hag never quite healed, the veteran midfielder got over that injury-hit second season to re-establish himself in the squad, even after the Dutchman was replaced by Ruben Amorim.
On a number of occasions, Amorim referenced the fact that Casemiro had fallen behind Toby Collyer in the pecking order but fought his way back to be a regular again. United miss him when he’s not there now. He has become a crucial cog in the wheel again this season, highlighted by his performance in the Manchester derby last weekend.
It ended with him throwing himself around Michael Carrick’s shoulders at the final whistle, and people around the club say that he is more passionate about United than the majority of players who pass through, despite all he has achieved in the game elsewhere.
Casemiro was one of the players Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) said that Ineos had ‘inherited’, admitting that some were ‘overpaid’ and others weren’t good enough.
Few of them cost as much as Casemiro and it’s hard to get away from the fact that a serial Champions League winner will leave at the end of a season in which United have been out of Europe for only the second time in 35 years and will finish without a trophy for the second season in a row.
There is still time for him to play a part in putting the club back among Europe’s elite and go out on a high, even though it would be a relatively minor one by his standards.
A number of expensive Brazilian players have disappointed at Old Trafford down the years, Kleberson, Fred and Antony to name three. Casemiro doesn’t deserve to be included among them.
At least he gave United some bang for their buck.
