Casemiro, who was arguably the player of the season in his first campaign in Manchester United, suffered a dramatic drop-off in form which coincided with Erik ten Hag’s shift to a high-transition style.
Covering the space vacated by his remaining midfielders proved too much of a task for the Brazilian as he time and again struggled to track back with plenty of teams scoring from cutbacks inside the box.
He suffered a couple of injuries which did not help matters, nor did his stint at the back during the injury crisis that plagued the team during the business-end of the campaign.
His displays got so dire that the Dutchman dropped him for the FA Cup final and the player chose to leave the matchday squad citing injury and even did not join his teammates in the post-success revelry.
Casemiro to stay?
Rumours have continued to swirl regarding his future with Saudi Arabia looking the most likely destination while there has been tentative interest from Turkey as well.
INEOS are open to moving him on due to his enormous wages but it would be for a massive loss due to the absurdly high initial investment. It was thought that Ten Hag would also be open to the idea considering what had transpired at Wembley, but Football Transfers have now claimed the opposite.
The outlet has stated that the former Real Madrid superstar wants to stay and redeem himself in the upcoming campaign and that he apologised to the manager, who now wants him to stay. He even thinks a fully-fit and firing Casemiro could prove to be the catalyst for his team, like he was in his debut campaign in red.
This could bring INEOS and Ten Hag on a collision course regarding the Brazil international. The manager does retain a veto regarding the club’s transfer dealings.
EtH-INEOS set to collide
“Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is determined to remain at the club but his future hangs in the balance, with the board considering going against the wishes of manager Erik ten Hag by brokering a sale, FootballTransfers can exclusively reveal.
“Reports have indicated that the Brazil international is one of the players who has been earmarked to leave Man Utd this summer, but FootballTransfers has been told by a source close to the club that the player is “determined” to redeem himself.
“Casemiro has spoken to Ten Hag and has expressed his desire to remain at the club, apologising for his poor performances last season. The player said he was dissatisfied with his performance and wants to make amends. The manager wants to keep him. He feels that a fit Lisandro Martinez and an in-form Casemiro are key for his side next term.”
The report further added that the defensive midfielder would be meeting the new hierarchy shortly in a bid to understand his future. Whatever happens with the five-time Champions League winner, it is clear that the club need to bring in reinforcements in the middle of the park ahead of the new season.
