Nine months after that iconic message to Manchester United – 4-0 to Brentford, he told his reps to let his prospective new club know: “I’ll fix it.” Casemiro turned out to live up to his word. A place at the table among Europe’s elite might never have felt so far away as it did on that disastrous August afternoon, but thanks in no small part to the Brazilian’s willpower, Manchester United are back in the Champions League.
Add at least one domestic cup to the mix – although it must be said that many of this night’s evidence see them very well mowed down by Manchester City in next weekend’s FA Cup final – and this is an impressive first season for Erik ten Hag. That might not have been the case had it not been for a transfer that at the time seemed to reek of financial uncertainty at Old Trafford. They dropped £70 million on a player who turned 31 in February, who would easily struggle to motivate himself as he has won everything there is to win at club level on multiple occasions.
Even in the hazy afterglow of the goal and decisive pass that secured a top-four finish in this 4-1 win over Chelsea, you wouldn’t exactly praise United for their deal-making acumen in Casemiro’s case. This could be his best season in a red shirt; suspensions alone have cost him seven league games. It won’t be long before they pay the Brazilian £350,000 a week for post-prime gigs on a contract that runs until 2026. It might not be until that deal approaches its final months that ten Hag’s charges really stand are to work together. an ongoing title challenge.
But to ever have the chance to do so, they had to become a club whose appeal to the best and brightest went beyond extravagant wages. That requires at least Champions League football. They now have that on offer and targets in midfield such as Mason Mount will no doubt be bolstered by the prospect of being alongside Casemiro under the lights of Old Trafford.
After all, from the EFL Cup final to victory over Manchester City, he tends to deliver in his biggest moments. He did just that on Thursday, aided by Victor Lindelof’s clever blocking, he drove into the penalty area to head in the free-kick from Christian Eriksen, another veteran of this summer who accelerated United on their journey up a mountain, although he may not have nearby if and when they reach the top. Casemiro’s best moment came just before the break. Driving into the space where his Chelsea defensive midfield counterpart should have been, the veteran gestured to pass in one direction, but fired a pass in the opposite direction for Jadon Sancho. With the precision of his time at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho rolled the ball to the back post and Anthony Martial fired in.
Perhaps Casemiro should have put it on a plate before one of his forwards scored in the first half. Even after Bruno Fernandes’ second-half penalty and a Marcus Rashford tap gave the Red Devils their joint biggest win of the Premier League season, United have by far the lowest goalscoring return of the top six. It’s not just 27 less than Arsenal, 38 less than City, but 11 less than Newcastle, whose emergence is built on a combative defence.
Part of that can be explained by a few seasons off the taping of most not named Rashford this season. His best-ever run in the winter months was offset by players like Wout Weghorst, Bruno Fernandes and Antony who didn’t quite get the returns their expected goals would suggest. That could change, but what United need above all is a striker who can make a large number of good quality shots. Arsenal have four players this season who have taken more than 45 shots from the penalty area. Only Rashford has reached that number for United. A team that has any hope of entering the Champions League next season cannot end a league campaign with just one player in double figures for the season.
Still, it could be worse. They could be Chelsea. Frank Lampard has turned an unloseable temp job into a bonfire for his managerial prospects. Watching from afar, Mauricio Pochettino will have learned little new: Kai Havertz still can’t finish, Mykhailo Mudryk would greatly benefit from a first touch, any minor setback will push these players to implode inside. At least there’s a cherry on top of the original black hole that was this performance, Joao Felix’s late goal meaning Chelsea go into the final day with their fate in their hands as they collectively battle to beat Erling Haaland. They have 37. He has 36. That’s half a billion well spent.
All in all, it’s more to worry about than Manchester United will have when they play against Fulham on Sunday, their season’s mission accomplished. Thank God Casemiro answered the call.