TA: Casemiro must start every game from now for automatically renewed contract

According to Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic’s Manchester United correspondent, Casemiro’s automatic contract extension clause requires him to start 35 matches this season, meaning he must start every remaining game.

Reports indicate that Casemiro can trigger an additional one-year extension to his Manchester United contract by reaching a certain number of starts this season.

If the 33-year-old Brazilian midfielder meets the target—believed to be 35 starts across all competitions—his contract will automatically be extended until 2027 at his current salary level.

This threshold appears unusually high for this season, as United are not competing in European competitions and were eliminated in the first round of both domestic cups—leaving the club with only 40 total matches this season, the fewest in a full campaign since 1914–15. Nevertheless, Casemiro may still narrowly achieve the requirement.

He has already started 18 Premier League matches this season, so he must feature in every remaining game, as United have just 17 matches left.

He was on the bench for the Carabao Cup match against Grimsby and played only the final 11 minutes of the FA Cup tie against Brighton due to rotation. In the Premier League, he missed matches against Brentford and Aston Villa through suspension.

In the September match against Manchester City, Casemiro came on as a substitute after playing 66 minutes for Brazil in Rio de Janeiro the previous week.

Aside from those three games, under Amorim’s management, Casemiro has been an almost ever-present starter in the Premier League, while Ugarte and Mainoo have consistently been left out.

Casemiro has scored four goals this season: in victories over Chelsea and Brighton, and in draws against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. He started in only two of United’s defeats this season—home losses to Arsenal and Everton.

Casemiro’s transfer to Old Trafford in August 2022 from Real Madrid was heavily criticized internally, particularly by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s investor who acquired a stake in December 2023.

United agreed to pay Real Madrid £60 million upfront, plus £10 million in potential add-ons, though these bonuses are not expected to be met as they are tied to winning the Premier League and Champions League.

Casemiro’s personal terms were £350,000 per week, but due to the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, his wages have dropped below £300,000 this season and last—a standard club-wide measure.

If Casemiro meets his starting target and United qualify for the Champions League, his salary would automatically revert to the full amount in the final year of his contract, worth over £18 million. However, sources close to the club say this scenario is highly unlikely.

The club retains an option to extend Casemiro’s contract by one year regardless of appearances, or negotiate a new deal at a reduced wage, but there are currently no indications either option will be pursued.

It remains unclear whether circumstances will ultimately favor Casemiro. Fletcher started him against Burnley but left him out of the starting lineup against Brighton, and with United’s elimination, his chances of triggering the extra year now appear extremely slim.

Carrick’s appointment seems to allow for more midfield configurations than Amorim’s system, with Bruno Fernandes appearing as the number 10, while Casemiro, Ugarte, and Mainoo compete for the deeper midfield roles.