Casemiro has already played final Man Utd game, says Carrick

Michael Carrick revealed Casemiro has already played his final game for Manchester United, as he will not feature against Brighton on Sunday.

Casemiro will leave United at the end of the season and returned from injury in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend at Old Trafford.

He was taken off to a standing ovation in the 81st minute of that match, with the Brazilian enjoying an emotional send-off in front of the home faithful on his 160th appearance for the Red Devils.

And Carrick said it was decided before that match that Casemiro would not be stepping out in their final game of the season at the American Express Stadium.

"First of all, on Casemiro, it was kind of decided that last week would be his last game," Carrick said at his pre-match press conference.

"I think that went as well as we all could have hoped, to be honest.

"He's been fantastic, and I've said a lot of things about Case, how well he's done for me since I've been here and for the whole club. It was decided it would be a good time for him to finish, really.

"It just felt the right time, I think, for Case; it was decided, and he was part of that as well. It was the right time, there is an element of balance, like I've just said, the last game, we're not done, the season's not done for us. We're really conscious of that.

"There's a real balance between trying new things, moving forward, keep evolving. There are always games we'll try different things in that some might notice, some people might not notice others.

"So, I think the biggest thing is we're really conscious to respect this last game, what it stands for, and obviously try and make the best of it for us. We want to go down there and put in a good performance and try to win the game."

Casemiro has enjoyed a stellar season for United, helping them to third in the Premier League and return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023-24 when they were knocked out in the group stage, having finished bottom.

The 34-year-old has scored nine goals, his highest tally in a single season across his career. All of those have come in the top-flight, more than he managed in his first three campaigns combined (six).