“Leave the football before the football leaves you.” The meme-baiting quote from Jamie Carragher hung heavy over Casemiro for a long while, but it is testament to the Brazilian’s character and durability that he will leave Manchester United this year on his own terms, two years after those infamous words from the former Liverpool player.

In fairness to Carragher, context at the time was key. After United were hammered 4-0 by Crystal Palace in May 2024, Casemiro looked spent at the elite level, bypassed too easily in increasingly fast‑tempo matches and left for dead by Erik ten Hag’s high-risk tactics.

Casemiro could have taken the easy route out to the Saudi Pro League – it was hardly like he had anything to prove given his impressive medal collection. Back then it seemed United would do almost anything to offload him; now it is clear that replacing him will be the club’s trickiest summer task, another challenge for Jason Wilcox and company.

Late-era Casemiro – he turns 34 this month – added discipline to his game and became wary of his weaknesses when exposed against runners through the middle. He...