Casemiro scored another crucial goal for Manchester United on Thursday as Ruben Amorim’s men came from behind in their Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has made it clear that he’s a huge fan of Casemiro, who’s in for a massive pay rise if they win the Europa League final. Casemiro, 33, scored to put United in the lead as they came from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in their semi-final second leg on Thursday.
Now the Red Devils have the chance to win the competition and in turn qualify for next season’s Champions League. Playing in Europe’s elite competition would earn the club between £80million and £100m – but it would also cost them.
Mirror Football reported last week that should the Red Devils beat Tottenham in Spain on Wednesday, May 21, Casemiro will be given a £100,000-a-week pay rise, taking his weekly earnings to a cool £500,000. That’s amount which United agreed to pay Cristiano Ronaldo when he returned to the club in 2021.
Casemiro’s salary has been at the centre of speculation over his future, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to lower the wage budget at Old Trafford and reportedly identifying the Brazilian as the kind of big-money signing that United shouldn’t have made. But Amorim’s opinion could weigh heavily, as the Red Devils boss appears to love working with Casemiro.
Having scored the goal which put United 2-1 up against Bilbao, the former Real Madrid stalwart was immediately substituted and Amorim gave him a big hug to congratulate his performance, prompting a huge cheer from the crowd. Casemiro also bagged a goal in the first leg and was decisive with two assists at home to Lyon during United’s dramatic quarter-final win last month.
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The Brazil international has gone from a much-maligned figure during Erik ten Hag’s final months in charge to a key player for Amorim. The pair didn’t click instantly, though, as Casemiro only started one of the Red Devils’ 14 games between mid-December and the start of February, playing a possible 136 minutes out of a potential 1,290 minutes.
Asked why he wasn’t playing as regularly, Amorim gave a brutal response. “We know that Casemiro nowadays has other qualities,” the United manager told TNT Sports. He’s intelligent, understands the game and knows where the ball is going to be.
“We are in a league where there is a big intensity difference. Therefore I feel our team needs players with high intensity and sometimes we don’t have them.”
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Things have changed in terms of his playing time, although Casemiro is still up for sale – much like the rest of United’s squad. Their looming bottom-half finish in the Premier League can’t be ignored and the 33-year-old was part of a midfield which was dominated by Bilbao’s for the first 70 minutes on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia has been mooted as the likely destination, with Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr reportedly keen. But could the riches of Saudi Arabian tempt him away?
“I have one-and-a-half years left on my contract and I would like to finish it here in Manchester,” Casemiro told AS in February. “I am comfortable here and so is my family. They have adapted, we speak English. I’m very grateful to the fans at Old Trafford and to the club. I am happy at club level. Happy on the bench? Of course not. That’s something else.”
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