Manchester United's resurgence in Premier League reached a new high on Sunday when they defeated Aston Villa 3-1, currently their main rival in the fight for third place in the Premier League and securing a Champions League spot next year. Casemiro scored one of the goals, as fans chanted "one more year", hoping to change the Brazilian's mind, who is expected to leave the club in June as his four-year contract ends.
Casemiro's spell at United, where he joined from Real Madrid in 2022, following a £70 million deal (with add-ons) has been uneven, with some questioning his fitness and even weight at some point, but now has proven crucial for the team, having scored seven goals this season, with five of them being goals that helped United win points in the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.
Gary Neville, Manchester United legend who spent his entire career at the club, and works as pundit for Sky Sports, said in his podcast that he now "looks fitter, he looks leaner, he looks freer and look he's doing a great job", but United is right in letting him go, because he is one of the best paid footballers of the squad and his age, 34, still shows, even calling this four-year stint at United as a "cameo at the end of his career". "Almost like a swansong where he's probably loving every minute, and you can see it. He's kissing his badge to the fans. The fans absolutely love him, and it's right that he does leave at the end of the season."
Neville was also very critical about United's decision to sign him, a poor financial decision as it was an expensive signing and one of the highest salaries of the squad for a player who will leave for free in June. "They've invested £140m in Casemiro, £20m a year in wages and £60m in a fee, that's not a clever move because they're now losing him for nothing. This is nothing to do with Casemiro, this is to do with Man United's poor recruitment over many, many years and them overpaying", Neville added.