Life without Casemiro in the starting-XI could prove to be difficult for Manchester United.
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Livescore’s X (formerly Twitter) account posted a telling graphic proving that the Red Devils tend to struggle when the Brazilian doesn’t start games.
In the four league games the ex-Real Madrid star didn’t start – United lost three and drew one.
Manchester United must properly replace Casemiro this summer
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. After all, these were all away trips to typically difficult destinations:
- Man City 3-0 Man Utd
- Brentford 3-1 Man Utd
- Aston Villa 2-1 Man Utd
- Sunderland 0-0 Man Utd
And it’s worth pointing out that all bar one fixture (the draw with Regis Le Bris’s plucky Sunderland) were under the care of Ruben Amorim, prior to new boss Michael Carrick taking the reins.
Man United haven’t won a league game that Casemiro hasn’t started this season 😬❌
Can his influence be replaced once he leaves in the summer? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/GIDGq5vc8n
— LiveScore (@livescore) May 16, 2026
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That said, United cannot afford to undervalue Casemiro’s overall importance to the side’s success this term. To such an extent, by the way, that the midfielder’s most committed critic, Jamie Carragher, felt compelled to tone down his prior comments.
“It’s now fair to say, the football hasn’t left him… Casemiro is well within his rights to say to me, ‘leave the punditry before the punditry leaves you’,” the Sky Sports pundit said.
What do the stats say about Casemiro’s 2025/26 season?
The stats don’t lie: Fotmob have the veteran midfielder down as Manchester United’s second-best player (7.36/10), behind Bruno Fernandes (8/10), in the Premier League this term.
And it’s not hard to see why.
| Casemiro’s 2025/26 Premier League stats (per 90) | Percentiles |
| 0.19 non-penalty xG | 96th |
| 0.11 xA | 70th |
| 1.22 chances created | 73rd |
| 6.61 duels won | 84th |
| 2.01 aerial duels won | 89th |
| 12.74 defensive contributions | 91st |
| 1.08 xG against while on the pitch | 95th |
* Casemiro’s stats this season, as of 16/05/2026, (Fotmob)
At the tender age of 34, Casemiro has picked up nine goals and two assists in 33 top-flight games. Not bad for a footballer who some deem to be past his best.
And look, no one’s claiming that we’re seeing the best-ever version of the Brazilian at United, but suggestions that he’s a broken toy we should have discarded last summer are wildly unfair, to say the least.
He can leave Old Trafford with his head held high.
Of course, now it’s on the recruitment team to go out into the market and find a footballer worthy of filling his boots in the years to come.
That won’t be a simple task, judging by Casemiro’s contributions in 2025/26!
