Manchester United near Champions League return, big calls loom
The Stretford End said it all. As Casemiro trudged down the tunnel following Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Brentford, chants of “one more year, one more year Casemiro” rang around Old Trafford, a fitting send-off for a player who, in all likelihood, has played his last months at the club.
The Brazilian was everywhere in the win. He scored for the third successive home game, celebrated by kissing the badge, won two crucial late free-kicks inside his own penalty area as Brentford pressed for an equaliser, and walked off to a standing ovation. It was Casemiro in a nutshell, influential, combative, and utterly aware of the moment.
But manager Michael Carrick was blunt when asked whether this summer marks the end of the road for the 34-year-old at Old Trafford.
“Yes,” Carrick said. “It is pretty clear, from both sides.”
“Cas has had an influence in the group,” he added. “He has huge experience and given everything you can possibly give. But it’s football. Players come and go.”
The result leaves United just two points shy of Champions League qualification, a remarkable turnaround for a side many predicted would be anchored in the bottom half of the table when Carrick stepped in following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal in January. With four games remaining, and the mathematics heavily in their favour, a return to Europe’s elite competition after a two-year absence is all but certain.
But while the football world debates whether Carrick has done enough to earn the job permanently, those running the club know the harder work is only just beginning.
Replacing Casemiro tops the summer agenda, with central midfield identified as the single biggest area requiring reinforcement. Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson has emerged as the primary target, though the club’s approach this window will look markedly different from summers past.
The message from within Old Trafford is firm on two fronts. United will not overpay. If Anderson’s price tag climbs to £120 million, with Manchester City also circling, the club will walk away. Every target has a ceiling, regardless of reputation. Equally, the club is determined to avoid the drawn-out transfer sagas that have previously derailed their business, most notably the failed pursuit of Frenkie de Jong that eventually led to Casemiro’s arrival as a Plan B in 2022.
The signings of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha last summer are cited internally as proof that the club can attract quality without losing its head in negotiations. Two, possibly three, central midfielders are considered essential, while a left-sided attacking option is also on the radar, United had shown interest in Antoine Semenyo as recently as January.
With a potential return to the Champions League set to swell the fixture list by as much as 50%, squad depth is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.
Perhaps the thorniest issue of all is what to do with the man who steadied the ship. Carrick has delivered results few thought possible when he inherited a floundering squad mid-season. Many within the game argue that feat alone warrants a full-time contract.
Yet the debate inside the club is genuinely split.
One camp holds that appointing Carrick is the safe and deserved call, but risks comparisons to the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era if things unravel next season. The other contends that bringing in a more decorated manager, only for that manager to struggle with the weight of the job, would leave the hierarchy accused of dismantling something that was quietly working.
The options are not straightforward either. Paris Saint-Germain are confident Luis Enrique will sign a new deal, and even if he does not, his wage demands would be among the highest on the planet. Julian Nagelsmann remains contractually tied to Germany until 2028, with a potential World Cup final clash ruling out any realistic approach. Andoni Iraola is admired, but as Brentford’s Thomas Frank discovered at Tottenham, transitioning from a progressive smaller club to a giant is a different proposition entirely.
What United’s powerbrokers were certain of when they handed Carrick the reins, sources say, was that he would not be overwhelmed by the scale of the task. Last week, Carrick sat down with Sir Jim Ratcliffe for an informal cup of tea. Just how consequential that conversation turns out to be remains to be seen.
Old Trafford will almost certainly host Champions League football next season. But for those in the boardroom, the real season is just getting started.
Source: BBC
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