As Casemiro walked off the pitch to a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd after a towering performance against Fulham, Michael Carrick was waiting to greet the Manchester United midfielder on the touchline.
A warm, lingering embrace between the pair followed and, at that moment, it was hard not to be transported back a couple of weeks to when a beaming Casemiro had flung himself on his manager’s back after Mason Mount scored at the end of United’s derby demolition of Manchester City.
The goal would be ruled out for the narrowest of offsides but the Brazilian’s unbridled happiness and affection for Carrick were clear to see.
Casemiro’s four years at United since his £60m move from Real Madrid in that tumultuous summer of 2022 – when the club spent far too long chasing Frenkie de Jong before pivoting to the veteran in something of a panic – have been a rollercoaster ride.
But his final season before he leaves Old Trafford this summer is adopting a redemptive arc and mirroring his first in terms of his influence on the side and popularity with team-mates, staff and the fans, for whom he has become a cult hero.
Defensively and offensively against Fulham, Casemiro, who turns 34 later this month, was excellent.
He opened the scoring with a header from Bruno Fernandes’s free-kick, a combination that has yielded seven set-piece goals since Casemiro arrived at Old Trafford, and then set up Matheus Cunha for United’s second with a fine through-ball.
Indispensable in defence
But it was also notable how his side lost a degree of control when Casemiro exited in the 75th minute, after which Fulham scored twice in what has become something of a theme for United this season.
It was the same story in November against Tottenham, United’s opponents at Old Trafford this coming Saturday, who scored twice after Casemiro left the pitch.
Of the 40 goals United have conceded in all competitions, Casemiro has not been on the pitch for 18 of them, despite starting 21 of their 24 Premier League games.
In the three games in which he has not featured – Brentford and Aston Villa through suspension and the Carabao Cup defeat to League Two Grimsby Town – United conceded seven goals. Fulham, at Craven Cottage, Chelsea, Liverpool and Brighton, in both the league and FA Cup, all scored without Casemiro on the field for United.
The turnaround from the back end of the 2023/24 campaign and even the first months under Ruben Amorim when Casemiro was almost written off by the Portuguese and found himself behind academy graduate Toby Collyer in the pecking order, has been quite remarkable.
Written off under Ten Hag
It owes much to Casemiro’s own determination and dedication but also to the changes to the set-up under first Amorim and now Carrick that reduced the enormous amount of ground the ageing Brazilian was being asked to cover in Erik ten Hag’s wide open midfield.
After a severely depleted, ramshackle United lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in April 2024, Jamie Carragher suggested Casemiro’s race was run at the highest level.
Three weeks later, the Brazilian was named on the bench for the FA Cup final against Manchester City and, before kick-off, told Ten Hag he was not 100 per cent fit and did not want to be part of the squad. After United stunned City to win 2-1, Casemiro made only a brief appearance at the post-match celebrations before quickly flying off on holiday with his family.
United would have sold Casemiro that summer had there been any takers. But his £350,000 a week wages were a huge obstacle and, by September of the following season, his Old Trafford career hit a new low when he was substituted at half-time of the 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool after being overwhelmed.
On commentary, Gary Neville suggested watching Casemiro reminded him of his own final days as a United player when he knew his legs had gone.
Casemiro’s wife, Anna Mariana, jumped to her husband’s defence by posting a picture on Instagram reminding people of his enviable trophy haul, including five Champions Leagues with Real.
But things did not immediately improve when Amorim replaced Ten Hag a couple of months later. During Casemiro’s long spell out of the team over winter, Amorim doubted whether the midfielder could still cope with the physical demands of the Premier League “where there is a big intensity difference”.
But Amorim in time would adjust United’s pressing structure to accommodate Casemiro by instead asking the wing-backs to press high in his 3-4-2-1 system.
It would still not have prevented Amorim from selling the Brazilian last summer had the right offer come along, and United explored a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
But it was telling in the wake of the 4-2 win over Brighton last October that the manager held up Casemiro as an example to the rest of the squad of how a player can change his mind with the right attitude and application.
Good relationships with new coaches
Has it helped Casemiro that United have had clear weeks to prepare for games and only one match a week in the main this season? Of course. It has afforded the player plenty of respite between fixtures.
Some close to him also feel he was given fresh impetus by his return to the Brazil squad last year following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as coach, his former manager at Real with whom he has an extremely close bond.
Equally, the decision a fortnight ago to announce his exit at the end of the season has also removed the speculation around his future that could have become an unhelpful distraction over the coming months.
But the uplift has still been striking. Since February last year, when Casemiro forced his way back into the team under Amorim, his 11 goal involvements are bettered only by Fernandes (35) in United’s squad.
He has long been a potent weapon at set-pieces, which will be a loss to United when he goes. But his passing is also an asset and there has been an added bounce in his game since Carrick came in and restored Kobbie Mainoo to the midfield alongside him.
Casemiro ranks 10th in the Premier League for line-breaking passes (145) among central and defensive midfielders this season and four of those have been in passing sequences that have led to goals, most recently Cunha’s against Fulham.
His long-term successor this summer must have greater mobility, that goes without saying. But replacing his often overlooked goal threat and underrated creativity will not be straightforward, just as his experience and big-game know-how are precious commodities.
Casemiro’s signing will always be viewed in part through the prism of the decision to spend £60m on a 30-year-old and award him a four-year contract worth around £18m annually with the option of a further 12 months. But he is enjoying a marked second wind and it could yet help carry United back into the Champions League.