Casemiro disagrees with Neymar decision

Casemiro will be leaving Manchester United in the summer after four years of service, which means the club have the onerous task of replacing the Brazilian midfielder at the end of the season.

There have been moments when the five-time Champions League winner has looked past it but he’s enjoyed something of a revival in recent times.

Although he is no longer operating at the levels we witnessed during his spell with Real Madrid, the 34-year-old is more than capable of dotting around an engine room against Premier League opposition.

Manchester United are actively trying to find a viable replacement given that he is so capable, as evidenced by the fact that he was called up to represent his nation, Brazil, this March.

They suffered a 2-1 defeat to France, which saw Casemiro and Matheus Cunha both play, and the former’s post-match comments may have retrospective consequences.

That’s because Casemiro – who has felt the need to confirm that he will not be staying at Old Trafford beyond the summer – has run the risk of upsetting Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti faced a barrage of criticism for not calling Neymar up to the Brazil squad for the March international break.

The tricky forward, who is Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer with 79 strikes, has struggled to find his feet back at Santos – and Ancelotti made the decision to omit him from the squad.

Casemiro, per The Mirror, spoke about Neymar’s influence and even called him ‘indispensable’ from a Brazilian national team point of view. He said:

“We know how good Neymar is. He is indispensable to any national team, and especially when he is in form, he is one of the best in the world.”

The Manchester United midfielder then took it one step further and claimed that his fellow countryman is one of the three best footballers of his generation.

“For my generation, he is one of the top three: Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Lionel] Messi and Neymar,” he concluded.

Casemiro, however, did insist that it is totally Ancelotti’s decision as he said: “It’s not up to me to decide who they’re going to call up.”

The former Los Blancos midfielder now looks towards Brazil’s friendly encounter with Croatia at the beginning of April.

From a domestic perspective, Michael Carrick and his staff will welcome back the seasoned star with welcome arms when players return from international duty soon.

Casemiro has struck up a wonderful partnership with Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park and if the club are to secure Champions League football for next term, he’ll certainly have a big part to play.