Casemiro has already played his last match for Manchester United, with Michael Carrick confirming the midfielder will not feature against Brighton at the American Express Stadium on Sunday. The decision means Casemiro’s United career ends with the 3-2 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, a result that helped secure third place and a Champions League return.
Carrick explained that the choice to draw Casemiro’s United career to a close before the final league fixture had been made in advance. The interim manager also stressed that Manchester United still treat the Brighton trip seriously, viewing it as a chance to finish a strong domestic campaign with another positive result.
At Carrick’s pre-match press conference, the United head coach detailed the internal talks that shaped the plan. “First of all, on Casemiro, it was kind of decided that last week would be his last game,” Carrick said. “I think that went as well as we all could have hoped, to be honest.” The midfielder was fully involved in those discussions.
It was decided that last week would be his last game. I think it went as well as we could have hoped. Hes been fantastic for us. Michael has confirmed that @Casemiro is unavailable for Sunday, and has played his match for UnitedManchester United (@ManUtd) May 21, 2026
">
Casemiro’s final appearance for Manchester United came on 21 May against Nottingham Forest, when the 34-year-old returned from injury. Casemiro started in midfield, played a key role in the 3-2 victory, then left the pitch in the 81st minute to a standing ovation, marking appearance number 160 in all competitions for the club.
The Brazilian’s influence on Manchester United’s campaign has been clear in both performances and numbers. Casemiro has scored nine Premier League goals this season, the highest total of any year in Casemiro’s career. All nine have come in the top flight, surpassing Casemiro’s combined tally of six league goals from Casemiro’s first three seasons at Old Trafford.
Those contributions helped Manchester United finish third in the Premier League and secure a place in the Champions League for the first time since the 2023-24 season. In that previous European campaign, Manchester United exited at the group stage, finishing bottom. Carrick’s side will now return with greater confidence and a refreshed midfield plan without Casemiro.
Carrick took time to praise Casemiro’s wider influence at Manchester United. "He's been fantastic, and I've said a lot of things about Case, how well he's done for me since I've been here and for the whole club." The coach added: "It was decided it would be a good time for him to finish, really."
The Manchester United manager outlined how timing and squad planning shaped Casemiro’s farewell. "It just felt the right time, I think, for Case; it was decided, and he was part of that as well." Carrick continued: "It was the right time, there is an element of balance, like I've just said, the last game, we're not done, the season's not done for us. We're really conscious of that."
Carrick also described how Manchester United hope to use the Brighton match while respecting Casemiro’s exit. "There's a real balance between trying new things, moving forward, keep evolving." Carrick said: "There are always games we'll try different things in that some might notice, some people might not notice others. So, I think the biggest thing is we're really conscious to respect this last game, what it stands for, and obviously try and make the best of it for us. We want to go down there and put in a good performance and try to win the game."
Story first published: Friday, May 22, 2026, 15:07 [IST]
About the Author
