At a Glance
- Casemiro is set to leave Manchester United
- The Brazilian’s form has led to suggestions of a U-turn
- The Reds have been told to let him go
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has questioned the hype around Casemiro, insisting that “if Manchester United want to really move forward as a club, Casemiro isn’t the future.”
The ex-Premier League winner shared his views on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club last night, sparking fresh debate over the midfielder’s role at Old Trafford.
Sutton said:
“I think this is a bit of sentimental guff more than anything. If Manchester United want to really move forward as a club, Casemiro isn’t the future for that. He’s been a great player but it comes to us all, he just doesn’t have the legs he once had.”
In contrast to Sutton’s views of the Brazilian, millions of United fans across the globe are begging for him to stay, and even his teammate and captain, Bruno Fernandes, has said, “I’d prefer he didn’t go.”
But does Sutton have a point? Should United be looking to the future, rather than relying on the familiar?
Sutton questions Casemiro
Regardless of what Sutton may say or think, the chance of Casemiro performing a U-turn is highly unlikely. The midfielder has already informed the club he is leaving and issued a statement to Manchester United fans, confirming that his four-year spell in the North-West is coming to an end.
But what do the numbers say about Casemiro’s Premier League season so far? They make for pretty impressive numbers for a 34-year-old.
| Casemiro (Premier League 2025-26) | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Games | 27 (1) |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Minutes played | 2070 (93rd most in the league) |
| Tackles per game | 2.4 |
| Balls recovered per game | 4.1 |
| Errors leading to goal | 0 |
Even more remarkable when recalling Jamie Carragher’s declaration that “football has left him” less than two years ago. He reacted to a nightmare defensive outing for the former Real Madrid man in a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
To be fair to Sutton, he insisted that Casemiro “doesn’t have the legs anymore in the middle of the park.” But the numbers tell a more nuanced story.
According to the BBC, Casemiro averaged 10.7km per match under Ruben Amorim and has only slightly dipped to 10.3km per game under Michael Carrick.
A study by Drs Raffaele Poli, Loïc Ravenel and Roger Besson, which analysed over 7,800 matches from the 2020 and 2020/21 seasons, breaks down distances covered by speed and compares them across leagues, team results, and player positions.
The findings show that outfielders in a Premier League team average 100.8km per game—roughly 10.08km per player—while midfielders, on average, cover 10.6km per match.
Casemiro’s numbers sit squarely within those benchmarks, showing that he still covers enough ground expected at the elite level.
The verdict
There is no doubt that Chris Sutton is a footballing legend. Over 500 career appearances, just under 200 goals, a Premier League winner with Blackburn, and the 1998 Golden Boot winner. His name adorns the English football history books.
But there is also no doubt in mind that Sutton has disrespected Casemiro, much like the aforementioned Carragher—but in the Liverpool icon’s case, the Brazilian wasn’t performing at his usual high level.
Instead, Sutton has reduced Casemiro to a caricature. As if a five-time Champions League winner has somehow misplaced his legs between midfield transitions.
Casemiro will not be in Manchester by the time the 2026/27 season rolls around. Maybe he will take Carragher’s advice and get a payday out in Saudi Arabia or the United States.
In five years, when fans sift through the chaos of 2022–2026, Casemiro will still stand tall. A colossus, the backbone that held United together.
