Michael Carrick confirms star’s Man Utd career is over | Football | Sport
Casemiro’s time at Manchester United is over after Michael Carrick confirmed the Brazilian will play no part in the club’s final Premier League fixture of the season this weekend.
The afternoon carried a distinct sense of closure, and Carrick has revealed it was decided last week that it would be Casemiro’s last appearance for the club, ruling him out of Sunday’s trip to Brighton.
Carrick will instead hand opportunities to some of the club’s brightest young talents at the Amex Stadium. The head coach paid further tribute to Casemiro after confirming his departure, with the former Real Madrid midfielder having had a say in the decision to forgo one final appearance this weekend.
“It just felt the right time, I think, for Cassie, and it was decided, he’s part of that as well, so it was the right time,” he said.
“We always kind of decided that last week would be his last game, so I think that went well, as well as we all could have hoped to be honest, and he’s been fantastic.
“I’ve said a lot of things about Cassie and how well he’s done for me since I’ve been here and for the whole club, but yeah, it was decided that it was a good time for him to finish, really.”
Despite Casemiro’s absence, Carrick remains acutely aware of the importance of ending the season on a high note. Although United’s third-place finish is already secured, the fixture carries considerable weight for Brighton as they push for a place in European football.
“We’re certainly conscious of the situation of the game and what’s at stake. I think we’ve certainly got a responsibility for that,” Carrick said.
“We’ve managed to put ourselves in a position where we kind of are in the position that we are in the league, and I’ve said that we wanted to finish strong for ourselves as much as anything, so we’re approaching the game as we would any other game. There’s a lot to play for Brighton, for Bournemouth, for all the other clubs surrounding that, so we’re well aware of that.”
The Seagulls still have hopes of a Champions League spot after Aston Villa won the Europa League. If the Villans finish fifth in the Premier League, the division will earn another spot in Europe’s top competition.
Liverpool must beat Brentford, and Unai Emery’s side must lose to facilitate that while Brighton will have to close the three point advantage that Bournemouth have over them. Though with Chelsea and Brentford just one point behind the south coast club, Brighton will be hoping they can hold on to a European spot.
