The 34-year-old agreed to waive this clause in January during negotiations to allow him to leave United this summer. Both sides reportedly agreed that the clause would not be triggered even if he met that threshold. In any case, that seemed unlikely as Casemiro would have needed to start all 21 remaining Premier League games to reach United’s 35-game target. This followed him missing the trip to Aston Villa in December due to suspension.
Such a scenario has become increasingly likely since Michael Carrick was appointed interim head coach. The former Real Madrid stalwart has been a key figure since Carrick arrived in January, regularly featuring in the starting XI. However, the Brazil international missed the stalemate at the Stadium of Light with a minor injury, meaning there is no longer a chance of him triggering his extension clause.
United are confident Casemiro will be available for next Sunday’s match against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. They then travel to Brighton & Hove Albion the following week for their final game of the campaign.
Casemiro’s future seems almost certain to be away from the M16, but questions remain over whether Carrick will be offered a permanent position at United. The former Reds midfielder made a surprising impact in leading his former club back into the Champions League, a competition they have been absent from since 2023.
Casemiro believes Carrick fully deserves the chance to become United’s full-time manager. “The club has a big problem in that regard, right? Because we know he came in as interim manager and came and delivered and played some difficult games,” he said in an interview with ESPN last week.
“He’s done very well, he’s doing very well, he’s a guy who knows the club, he knows what Manchester United is about. He’s got class, he’s got a Manchester United attitude, he’s a great human being and he deserves it. He deserves to stay.”
“In my opinion, he’s the guy who deserves it. Knowing him day-to-day, you already think, ‘This guy deserves it.’ He has class. He lives and breathes the club, he knows what the club is about. So for me, this guy should stay at the club for many more years, because he deserves it, he really deserves the job.”
