The midfielder's struggles in pedestrian pre-season friendlies do not bode well for next season with the Red Devils – but there's no easy solution
While his Manchester United team-mates were dripping with sweat at the Copa America, or being soaked in rain at the European Championship in Germany, Casemiro was able to enjoy his holidays. And if his Instagram account is anything to go by, he’s had quite the summer.
He and his young family jetted off to Orlando to visit Disney World, a trip he famously cancelled in 2019 to rush back to training after Real Madrid had been hammered 7-2 by Atletico Madrid in pre-season. He drove a classic Volkswagen Beatle around Brazil and then he and his wife celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a helicopter ride and by drinking the finest wine.
And who can blame him for enjoying his holiday after the awful season he had just endured? Casemiro’s reputation as a world-class midfielder and serial winner had been dragged through the mud by a dire campaign for him and his club. He was one of the main scapegoats of United’s lowest ever finish in the Premier League, while Jamie Carragher had urged him to quit elite football for his own good.
He was absent from the Red Devils’ one positive episode, missing the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City amid confusion as to whether he was injured or had refused to be a substitute. His woeful performances saw him axed from the Brazil squad for the first time in a decade, leaving him with no Copa America.
The upside of that was he got a rare extended break and some time to relax away from the glare of anxious United fans and the critical media. But now his holidays are over, he is back to work, and the time off appears to have made very little difference. And that presents a big problem for him and the Red Devils.
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Casemiro put his thumb up as he posed for a photo upon returning to Carrington for pre-season training in July but his early showings have been given a firm thumbs down. The Brazilian wore the captain’s armband for the games against Rosenborg and Rangers but he had very little authority on the pitch.
He was sluggish in Norway, unconvincingly scuffing a clearance and getting dispossessed on the edge of his own area before getting hacked by Tomas Nemcik. He was able to continue and completed the first half like the rest of his outfield team-mates but had looked off the pace in the eventual 1-0 defeat.
It might have only been a pre-season friendly but Erik ten Hag was furious with what he saw and did not mince his words, calling the performance "below standards". He also took aim at the more experienced players and it was hard not to assume he had Casemiro in mind when he said: "As an individual you must make sure you are fit. They (young players) are looking to listen and want to transfer that – it didn’t work."
AdvertisementGettyHead-in-hands
The Brazilian skippered United again against Rangers in Edinburgh and once more he was one of the worst performers. He misplaced simple passes, was easily beaten whenever Rangers attacked and he lost the ball in dangerous areas.
The nadir came when he squandered a decent United counter with an overhit ball towards Aaron Wan-Bissaka which went out of play. Casemiro knew he had messed up and did not hide his shame. He sank to his knees and put his head in his hands. How he must have wished he was still on holiday, still riding in helicopters or shaking hands with Mickey Mouse.
After all, these were hardly difficult opponents, from Norway and Scotland, ranked 12th and 17th respectively according to UEFA. "Good test in Scotland" Casemiro wrote with a brave face on his Instagram account after the Rangers game. The tests are going to get much harder. United face Arsenal in Los Angeles on Saturday and then Real Betis in San Diego before rounding off their tour of the USA against Liverpool in South Carolina.
Then it’s the Community Shield against Manchester City before United begin the Premier League season at home to Fulham. Casemiro does not have long to get in shape and time is running out to either prove he is still good enough for United or for any prospective suitors.
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Casemiro had an excellent debut season with United, powering their return to the Champions League and their Carabao Cup triumph, their first trophy in seven years. So his drop-off last season took everyone by surprise.
It began with a leggy performance in the curtain raiser against Wolves and got steadily worse, his declining physical capabilities being particularly evident in the 4-3 defeat by Bayern Munich – despite him scoring twice – and in the home defeats by Brighton, Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, getting sent off in the latter.
When it was revealed he had injured his ankle while on Brazil duty in October and would be out for several months, it was not the blow it would have been the previous campaign. If anything it was seen as a blessing.
Casemiro returned to action in late January and though there were some positives, such as a last-minute winner in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest and a decent display against West Ham, the decline continued, culminating in the horror show at Selhurst Park, when he was dribbled past eight times and which led to Carragher’s brutal character assassination.
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Carragher had emphatically told Casemiro: "Leave the game before it leaves you", suggesting he left United immediately and sought refuge in Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League. Not many United fans would have disagreed with the former Liverpool defender. Fast forward a few months and moving him on is proving difficult.
When United signed Casemiro from Real Madrid for £70m ($90m) late in the summer of 2022 in a panic after defeats by Brighton and Brentford, they offered him a four-year contract worth £350,000 ($450,000) per week, the equivalent of more than £18m ($23m) per year.
The Brazilian had told his agent at the time that he would fix United’s problems and that he did, but only in the short term and for a huge cost.
His signing was the equivalent of not repairing a broken window in your home and cranking up the heating to stay warm. United have been left with a huge bill but the same problem: a porous midfield which teams can play through for fun. And no one seems to be willing to bail them out.