'He was mistaken about me' - Casemiro finally addresses how he was treated by Ruben Amorim at Man Utd
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has shown his class by addressing his treatment from Ruben Amorim in a new interview.
The Brazilian, a £70 million signing from Real Madrid in 2022, has announced he will leave United in the summer after the two parties mutually agreed to not extend his £350,000-a-week contract.
That is despite United supporters calling for Casemiro to stay put after an impressive turnaround from the 34-year-old, who previously found himself out of favour under previous boss Amorim.
Having been one of the first names on the teamsheet under Erik ten Hag, Casemiro was in and out of the side under Amorim, who dropped him following a tough outing in a 2-0 loss to Newcastle in December 2024.
Advert
Casemiro was out of the starting eleven for United's next nine games and was an unused substitute in seven - with rookie Toby Collyer even placed ahead of him in the spell.
However, he managed to force his way back into the side and played a key role in the club's run to the Europa League final - where they were beaten 1-0 by Spurs in Bilbao.
Similarly, Casemiro has been integral to the United side which has secured a return to the Champions League with three games remaining under Michael Carrick, winning 10 of his 14 games in charge to climb to third in the table.
Though he is a five-time Champions League winner, Casemiro believes his resurgence which brought his return to the fold under Amorim is one of his top feats in football.
In an in-depth interview with ESPN Brasil, he said: “It may have been one of my greatest achievements because, with all the humility in the world, the most normal thing would be to say: 'Hey, the coach isn't using me? No problem, I've already won a lot of titles in my career, I've already achieved many things in my life and I'm here, the coach doesn't want to count on me, let him go and I'll stay here.' But no.
“I kept working, I kept trying to show the coach that he was wrong, that he was mistaken about me. I could have, as we say in the world of football, given up, moved on, and that's it.
“But I kept working, kept trying to change the coach's opinion, and I ended up succeeding, I finished playing and having a great end to the season, playing in a Europa League final.
“Despite having had several achievements in my career, this may have been one of the greatest achievements I had: reversing the coach's opinion. I wasn't playing because of the coach's opinion. And he ended up putting me in to play because of my merit and work, entirely my own.”
In the same interview, Casemiro backed interim boss Carrick to get the job on a full-time basis at the end of the season, telling ESPN Brasil journalist Joao Castelo-Branco that he "completely deserves it" and "has everything to be a great manager of Manchester United" as he has "already demonstrated very good qualities".
After his struggles, Casemiro has played 33 times in the Premier League this term - scoring an impressive nine goals from midfield.
Yet despite the clamour from United fans, Casemiro is adamant that he will depart for a new challenge - though he will still be "an eternal United fan" beyond his four-year spell.
He admitted: "I don't think there's a chance. There's no chance."
"Mostly because of what I said, you know? Go out the big door, I think it was four beautiful, wonderful years and I am eternally grateful not only to the club, but to the fans.
"But I think I have to leave in good terms, I have to go out on top. I will be an eternal United fan here in England and I just have to thank all the love from the fans."
Josh Lawless