Man UTD 3-2 Nottingham Forest: Casemiro played his last game at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the man to replace him in Michael Carrick’s midfield was in the opposition team.
Casemiro plays Elliott Anderson in midfield (Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
For Casemiro, it was an emotional farewell, fitting the end of a relationship that, despite its ups and downs, is coming to an end. But the truth in his final home appearance in a Manchester United shirt is that Casemiro will leave Old Trafford before they leave him, to adapt to Jamie Carragher’s cynical but premature line.
Michael Carrick needed a more dynamic, line-breaking central midfielder, and the perfect example was in the role of 34-year-old Casemiro, who was coming off an excellent season with decent performances. Elliot Anderson’s worth is established and he doesn’t need to audition.
But if watching Sir Jim Ratcliffe knew anything about football – which, to be fair, he obviously doesn’t – he would have no hesitation in approving a huge offer for the 23-year-old England midfielder, especially since the co-owners found out during the match that United were richer by £38m.
This is the compensation the club will receive for Rasmus Højlund after Napoli’s Champions League qualification confirms his obligation. It’s a fantastic sum for a player who had no intention of earning it at Old Trafford.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
read more: Manchester United score 5 goals in thriller, Nottingham Forest are in big trouble with VAR – 5 talking pointsread more: Premier League: Gary Neville slams Man United’s VAR controversy as ‘absolute shocker’
However, it would take well over £38m to lure Anderson away from Nottingham Forest. First, let’s multiply this number by 3. But United should try. At Old Trafford in recent times, there hasn’t been a more perfect midfield performance from a player who lost to his opponents.
Until the final whistle, Anderson never shied away from his defensive duties and looked capable of unleashing United’s defence, many times. It may sound strange to say this as if I were part of a losing team, but it was a master class.
Carrick is at the helm of a very talented United team and the arrival of Anderson, who brilliantly converted Morato’s header to cancel out Luke Shaw’s opener early in the second half, will transform them into a very real challenger for the domestic and European titles.
Should Manchester United sign Elliott Anderson? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Elliott Anderson was outstanding despite defeat at Nottingham Forest (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
There is so much for Carrick to look forward to with this group of players. Never mind the absurd refereeing decision that allowed Matheus Cunha’s goal, United fully deserved this win.
If Brian Mbeumo had used his legs as effectively as his right arm, they would have disappeared before Michael Salisbury’s inexplicable blunder that saw the Cameroon attacker acquitted of handball twice. To be honest, Mbeumo almost caught the ball before a few deflections led to Cunha’s shot.
United looked to have looked away when Bruno Fernandes equaled the Premier League record of 20 assists held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry and provided Mbeumo with a much-needed goal, but then Anderson set up a good Morgan Gibbs-White strike that led to a frenetic late game.
Casemiro bids farewell to Old Trafford (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
And in that final agonizing moment, Carrick ensured United’s comeback got the ovation it deserved by removing Casemiro from the game. That was a special moment. The tearful Brazilian was hugged by all his team-mates and then thanked all four stands.
Either way, it will be the last time they see Casemiro in a United shirt in the stands, but they will be hoping to see more of Elliott Anderson. Sir Jim should do everything in his power to make that happen.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily Manchester United content from Mirror Football. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of those live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
