Casemiro’s Old Trafford farewell caps Manchester United turnaround

Casemiro’s final Old Trafford appearance against Nottingham Forest completed one of Manchester United’s sharpest late-career rehabilitations. A midfielder once written off as a fading fit for English football leaves with 146 appearances, 21 goals, an EFL Cup and an FA Cup, and a reputation rebuilt on the pitch rather than in theory.

Manchester United are set to let the Brazilian depart when his contract expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, four years after they announced his arrival from Real Madrid on 19 August 2022. He had signed through June 2026 with an option for another year, arriving with more than 300 senior appearances for Madrid, 22 major trophies for club and country, and five Champions League titles already on his résumé.

His early months at Old Trafford hinted at immediate value. Casemiro made his debut as a substitute in the win at Southampton in September 2022, then scored seven times in his first season, including the opening goal in United’s Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United at Wembley. United named him their Player of the Month in October and again in May, a sign that his influence was clear long before the debate around his future hardened.

The middle of his United spell told a very different story. As doubts grew, Premier League analysis said Ruben Amorim was forced to adapt United’s pressing structure to suit Casemiro’s limitations, a rare adjustment for a player once viewed as a weakness. The same analysis showed how sharply his presence altered results in 2025/26: United conceded a goal every 110.6 minutes with Casemiro on the field, compared with every 31.54 minutes without him.

That statistical split mirrored the broader turnaround in perception. Premier League figures list Casemiro with 110 league appearances and 15 goals for United overall, including 33 league appearances, nine goals and two assists in 2025/26. United’s own profile says he reached 146 games and 21 goals across all competitions, a record that underlines how much more than a short-term fix he became.

He had returned to training after missing the draw with Sunderland, giving the Forest match the feel of a farewell to the home crowd. For a player who arrived with a heavyweight reputation and spent part of his United stay under heavy scrutiny, the exit carried a different kind of authority: a reminder that elite careers can swing quickly when role, form and expectation finally align.