Casemiro set for emotional Old Trafford farewell against Forest

Manchester United fans will sing their ode to Casemiro one last time on Sunday when the Brazilian makes his final appearance at Old Trafford against Nottingham Forest.

They know it will not happen, but that has not stopped supporters belting out the chant for the 34-year-old throughout the second half of the season, especially after goals and most recently when he gave United an early lead against Brentford last month.

Casemiro responded by kissing and pointing to the badge on his shirt. United's supporters lapped it up.

The mood stands in sharp contrast to 30 December 2024. That day, fans turned on striker Joshua Zirkzee when he was substituted in the 33rd minute during a poor home defeat by Newcastle. The reaction to Casemiro would have been worse had his number been held up, given his ineffective display in the same match.

Casemiro was replaced after 64 minutes. He did not play again for a month and did not start for nearly seven weeks. Manager Ruben Amorim said at the time that even Toby Collyer was sometimes playing ahead of him.

That came nine months after Jamie Carragher's comment that Casemiro should leave football before it left him, following a 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in May 2024. Casemiro later called the remark disrespectful in an interview with Rio Ferdinand published this week.

Amorim believed Casemiro, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, lacked the physical qualities needed in the Premier League. It took three months of hard work for the player to change the manager's mind.

On 6 March 2025, Casemiro started the first leg of the Europa League last-16 tie against Real Sociedad. He kept his place against Arsenal and has started every major game since.

"Football changes. Life changes," Casemiro said in the interview with Ferdinand. "For me, with the best players in the world, it's about the mentality. I might not play good. I'm not a robot and I know. But the next game, I give everything on the pitch. The mentality is next, next, next."

That approach has returned Casemiro to the Brazil squad. He is expected to captain the side under Carlo Ancelotti at this summer's tournament.

His influence at United has grown this season. Michael Carrick, the interim manager, said in his programme notes for the Forest game that if Casemiro had been injured in February, his absence would have been the hardest to cover during the successful push for Champions League qualification.

"He has been an absolute pleasure to work with," Carrick wrote. "He will always have a special connection with Manchester United."

Carrick said the early clarity around Casemiro's exit, announced on 22 January, has helped both player and club.

Casemiro's influence is expected to last beyond his departure. When he arrived from Real Madrid in 2022 in a deal worth up to £70 million, Kobbie Mainoo, then 17, hoped to learn from one of the game's most decorated players. Mainoo later competed with Casemiro for a starting spot.

Under Carrick, the pair have played together in 13 of the interim manager's 15 matches. Casemiro told the United We Stand fanzine that Mainoo is a complete player and the present and future of Manchester United. He said Mainoo needs to improve his decision-making and touch the ball more.

Helping Mainoo fulfil his potential would be a fitting postscript for Casemiro, who is expected to move to Major League Soccer after the World Cup.

The immediate focus remains Sunday's game and the farewell chants.

"It's incredible, just incredible," Casemiro told United We Stand. "My son, five-year-old Caio, is a Manchester United fan. He knows the songs and sings them at home. When the team loses, he cries. Our box is right on top of where the noisy United fans are. They feel this spirit. The most important thing about this club are the fans. Many times, we lose a game but in the next game they support us more. For me, that's incredible. I've never experienced that in my career."