BREAKING: JAMIE CARRAGHER EATS WORDS AS CASEMIRO LEADS UNITED BACK INTO TOP FIVE
Jamie Carragher admits Casemiro looks "a stone lighter" as the Brazilian's resurgence under Amorim fuels United’s top-five charge.
Jamie Carragher, who talks about soccer on Sky Sports, is kind of backtracking on what he said about Casemiro. Remember how Carragher said back in May 2024 that soccer had left him? Well, now that Casemiro is doing better under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, Carragher is changing his tune and saying the 33-year-old still has some game left.
Carragher Takes Back Harsh Words About Casemiro From 2024
Casemiro has been playing a big part for Amorim this season. He's started 15 out of 16 league games when he's been available, and he's scored four goals for United.
He's got six months left on his contract at Old Trafford, and no one knows what will happen next. But he's sure to be important for the rest of the season as United tries to get back into the Champions League. They're back in the top five after beating Newcastle United right after Christmas.
Carragher has noticed that Casemiro is playing better, even though Carragher gave him a hard time a year and a half ago. Before United's game against Newcastle, Carragher said Casemiro looked fitter and almost a stone lighter than he did on that awful night in London in May 2024 when Crystal Palace beat United 4-0.
'Good on 'Him'—Casemiro Gets Praise After a Good 2025/26 Season
Before the game, Carragher looked a little embarrassed when asked about what he said about Casemiro before.
Not yet (laughs), Carragher said on Sky Sports. Good on him, but Man United was way down in the standings last season. But, you know, when I see him now? Good on him; he looks physically different. I remember that Crystal Palace game; he looks way lighter. He was never going to leave with that contract; that's the problem with the deals they've made since they last won the league. It's not going to be renewed, so that's where they'll start looking for new players in January or the summer.
What Carragher Said About Casemiro in May 2024
Carragher really went after Casemiro after he played badly against Crystal Palace. Michael Olise scored twice, and Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell also scored.
Carragher said live on Sky Sports that night, "Casemiro should know he only has three games left at the top level." The next two league games and the cup final, then he should think about going to the MLS or Saudi Arabia.
This has to stop because we're watching one of the greats. I always remember the saying, 'Leave the soccer before the soccer leaves you.'
The soccer has left him. He needs to stop playing at this level and move on. He's too good to play like that and get laughed at by Crystal Palace. He needs to call it a day.
Casemiro Has a Big Job as United Tries for Europe
United is back in the top five in the league after beating Newcastle 1-0 on Friday. Patrick Dorgu scored the winning goal.
Casemiro started for Amorim, but Leny Yoro replaced him after an hour. Like in other games this season, United wasn't as good when Casemiro came off—but they managed to win.
Carragher said that Casemiro makes a lot of money—around £350,000 ($452,296) a week—so the club might not renew his contract when it ends on June 30, 2026. He can start talking to other clubs in January, but Amorim said they haven't decided about his contract yet.
No matter what happens in the next six months, Casemiro will be important as United tries to get back into the Champions League. He'll want to keep proving his doubters wrong.
WHY NO FINE? DISCOVER WHY THE GREEK COURT SCRAPPED MAGUIRE'S FINANCIAL PENALTY THIS WEEK
Harry Maguire’s retrial is over! Read about the 15-month suspended sentence, the Supreme Court appeal, and the Mykonos backstory.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been found guilty of non-serious assault in Greece and given a 15-month suspended jail sentence, down from the original 21 months after a retrial. This all goes back to 2020, when police arrested him while he was on holiday in Mykonos with family and friends.
The legal process dragged on for years. Maguire’s retrial finally happened on Wednesday, after four delays. He’s still fighting accusations of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and attempted bribery from that night. Greek law meant his conviction got quashed automatically on appeal, so that’s why there was a retrial. Maguire skipped the hearing; he was busy preparing for United’s game against Newcastle. On top of the shorter sentence, he doesn’t have to pay a fine anymore.
All this started in the summer break between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, just a year after Maguire joined United for a then-record £80 million. He was the club captain and a regular for England.
Right after his arrest, Maguire told the BBC how he thought he was getting kidnapped. He said plain-clothes police pulled over his group’s minibus, yanked him off, hit him on the legs, and shouted that his career was finished. “They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life,” he said. Maguire tried to run off with one handcuff still on, not knowing who these men were. He also said, “I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something you do when you have done something wrong. I don’t wish it on anybody. Obviously, the situation has made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong. I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody, anywhere.”
That first trial in 2020 caught him off guard. “It was horrible. It was such a quick turnaround; it was incredible. We got the pages for the transcript for the court the evening before. A big document, all in Greek. I hardly had any chance to speak to my lawyer. We were confident the case would be adjourned to give us more time to prepare and get the witnesses and the evidence that we have. For it all happened so quickly... we obviously didn’t expect the trial to go ahead,” he said.
Now, just ahead of his 33rd birthday, Maguire still refuses to settle the case with money. He wants to clear his name in court. He plans to appeal to the Supreme Court if he wins and the judgment gets thrown out.
CONTRACTUAL LIFELINE: UNEARTHING THE STRATEGY BEHIND ANDRE ONANA’S RETURN FROM TURKISH LOAN SPELL
Onana vs Lammens: Get the latest on the £44M keeper’s return from Turkey and why Michael Carrick values "reliability over chaos."
Andre Onana isn’t giving up on his Manchester United career, even with his replacement grabbing the spotlight while he’s away on loan. Right now, Onana’s spending the 2025/26 season with Trabzonspor in Turkey, while Senne Lammens has stepped up as United’s new first-choice keeper.
United signed Lammens from Royal Antwerp for £18 million on deadline day last September, and soon after, Onana was shipped out on loan. There’s no option for Trabzonspor to buy him, so Onana will be back at United this summer. He’s already played 72 games for the club.
Onana has turned out 20 times for Trabzonspor, but honestly, United probably aren’t paying much attention. Lammens has looked rock-solid in goal, holding down the spot for 21 straight matches, no matter if Amorim, Darren Fletcher, or Michael Carrick was in charge.
So far, Lammens has five clean sheets and is anchoring a defence that’s clearly improving under Carrick. Altay Bayindir is backing him up, and Tom Heaton is still kicking around in the goalkeeping group.
When United first bought Onana for £44 million from Inter Milan, he was reuniting with Erik ten Hag, his old Ajax boss. He’s still got two years left on his contract. According to Geremi Onana’s friend and a former Cameroon and Chelsea player, Onana hasn’t lost hope of turning things around.
“Listen, I know Andre very well, and there were a lot of issues at United during his time there,” Geremi told Telecom Asia. “It wasn’t all on him. But with Michael Carrick coming in, things are looking up for everyone, including Andre.
“He’s got real talent, and players like him don’t come around often. The next step is for him to go back and fight for his spot. Andre always rises to a challenge. Give him a fair shot, and he’ll show you what he can do.”
We’ll find out what’s next for Onana this summer. United are planning big changes, including a new permanent manager. Carrick is one of the names in the running.
If Carrick gets the job, Onana’s chances might take a hit, since the interim boss is thrilled with Lammens. After Lammens’ man-of-the-match showing in the 1-0 win over Everton, Carrick said, “For me, a keeper needs to be reliable, someone who calms things down, not adds to the chaos. Senne does exactly that.
“He’s quiet and maybe a bit unassuming, but he’s got real steel in him. Stepping in as United’s keeper is a big ask, and not everyone handles it. Sometimes it takes a while to settle, sometimes not. The way he’s handled it so far, he’s calm and composed, and that’s made a huge difference for the defence.”