Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has explained why he gave his FA Cup winners' medal to a teammate.
United won the FA Cup for the 13th time in their history back in May when they beat rivals City 2-1 in the final at Wembley. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo struck in the first half and City, who beat the Red Devils in the fixture the previous year, could only find a consolation through substitute Jeremy Doku.
Casemiro was originally a substitute for the game but was forced to withdraw from the squad after feeling muscle tightness when he warmed up in the dressing room.
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He reportedly told Erik ten Hag he did not want to play after suffering the injury. But the Brazilian still got his hands on the trophy, following up the Carabao Cup triumph over Newcastle United, where he scored the opener in a 2-0 victory.
However when it came to his medal from the FA Cup final, Casemiro was incredibly selfless and handed his prize over to Tyrell Malacia, who did not play a single minute in the 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury.
Malacia was present at the game and involved in the celebrations but was not eligible for a medal. However, he received the memento courtesy of Casemiro, who opened up about why he made the decision to let his colleague have it.
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"I didn't know Malacia had talked about it, but it's true, I gave him my medal," Casemiro said, as per The Mirror.
"He hadn't played a single game that season, and he didn't want to climb the steps.
"There was no medal for him, so I gave him mine. He's part of the team and we're counting on him. Even though he hasn't played this season, we love him, we need him and he also needs love."
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Speaking earlier this month about getting the medal, Malacia admitted he was hesitant about going up to lift the trophy and planned to stay down on the pitch.
However, when Casemiro told him to go up, he felt he had to listen to the former Real Madrid man.
He told The Athletic: “I was like, ‘I’m staying down here and you guys just enjoy it, then I’ll see you in the dressing room’. He [Casemiro] was like, ‘Nah, you have to go up there as well’. And if someone with that kind of experience tells you that, you’re listening.”
After a lengthy period without playing saw him become the forgotten man, Malacia returned to the United side in a competitive capacity on Thursday when he started the first half of the win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League at Old Trafford.
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New manager Ruben Amorim deployed him at left wing-back, before he was replaced by Diogo Dalot at half-time.
United paid Feyenoord £13 million to sign Malacia in the summer of 2022 and Ten Hag's first signing has gone on to play just 40 times.
United are back in action on Sunday when they host Everton in Amorim's first Premier League home game.
Topics: Casemiro, Manchester United, FA Cup
Josh Lawless