In 2024, Jamie Carragher infamously claimed Casemiro was ‘out of football’, but the Liverpool legend hit back at his scathing criticism two years ago.
Jamie Carragher praises Casemiro’s comeback (Image: Sky Sports)
Jamie Carragher has admitted that football is not leaving Manchester United star Casemiro after all. Two years after his now infamous criticism of the Brazilian midfielder, Carragher has made a belated U-turn.
It comes after Casemiro, who announced he will be leaving United at the end of the season, scored and provided an assist in Sunday’s dramatic 3-2 home win against Fulham. The former Real Madrid stalwart opened the scoring with a towering header before Matheus Cunha scored the Red Devils’ second goal.
Casemiro’s performances helped United to a 3-3 record under new manager Michael Carrick, with the 33-year-old contributing to that run. It’s a far cry from his performance towards the end of the 2023-24 season.
In May 2024, after United’s 4-0 defeat at Erik ten Hag’s Crystal Palace, Carragher declared: “I think Casemiro should know tonight that he only has three games left at the top level.”
“With the next two league games and the cup final, I’m sure he thinks I need to go to MLS or Saudi Arabia.
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“This has to stop because we are looking at one of the greatest players of our time. I will always remember the words: ‘Leave football before it leaves you.’
“He has stepped away from football. At this top level, he needs to finish his job at this level and move on.”
For the next two years, Casemiro remained a regular starter at United, but Carragher admitted he had been wrong. “It’s now fair to say football hasn’t left him,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
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Casemiro will leave Manchester United at the end of this season (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“If you think about what he has done not only at home against Fulham but also in the Premier League this season, you think about what he did last week away against Arsenal and at home against Manchester City.
“If Casemiro wants to fight back against me, he has every right to say, ‘Leave the pundits before the pundits leave!'” He could definitely win one of them back. He looks like a completely different player because of him. He looks like a different player physically.
“Even when I say that, when you look at him, he looked like an old guy who was nearing the end of his time as a player. And whether he’s let himself go a little bit or whether he’s become an ultra-professional now, physically he looks completely different.”
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