Casemiro has played his final game for Man Utd after Michael Carrick confirmed he won’t be in the squad against Brighton.
Casemiro said farewell to Old Trafford on Sunday(Image: (Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
Casemiro’s Manchester United career has come to an end after Michael Carrick confirmed the Brazilian won’t be in the squad for the final game of the Premier League season this weekend.
The 34-year-old said an emotional farewell to Old Trafford on Sunday, earning a standing ovation as he was replaced during United’s 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest and then making a heartfelt speech on the pitch after the game.
It felt like the afternoon had a sense of finality about it and Carrick has revealed it was decided last week that it would be Casemiro’s final game for the club, excusing him from Sunday’s trip to Brighton.
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Carrick will hand chances to some of the club’s promising youngsters instead at the Amex Stadium and paid tribute to Casemiro again after confirming he has now left the club, with the former Real Madrid midfielder having a say in the decision not to make one final appearance for the club this weekend.
“It just felt the right time, I think, for Cassie, and it was decided, he’s part of that as well, so it was the right time,” he said.
“We always kind of decided that last week would be his last game, so I think that went well, as well as we all could have hoped to be honest, and he’s been fantastic.
“I’ve said a lot of things about Cassie and how well he’s done for me since I’ve been here and for the whole club, but yeah, it was decided that it was a good time for him to finish, really.”
Although Casemiro won’t be involved, Carrick is conscious of the need to finish the season strongly and although United can’t move from third, the game has plenty riding on it for Brighton as they chase European football.
“We’re certainly conscious of the situation of the game and what’s at stake. I think we’ve certainly got a responsibility for that,” said Carrick.
“We’ve managed to put ourselves in a position where we kind of are in the position that we are in the league, and I’ve said that we wanted to finish strong for ourselves as much as anything, so we’re approaching the game as we would any other game. There’s a lot to play for Brighton, for Bournemouth, for all the other clubs surrounding that, so we’re well aware of that.”
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