´The decision is made and done´ – Casemiro not planning Man Utd U-turn

Casemiro has shrugged off the idea of reversing his decision to leave Manchester United and will stick to his plan to leave at the end of the season.

The midfielder announced earlier this year that he was not planning to renew his contract at Old Trafford despite his form being reinvigorated since the arrival of Michael Carrick.

Since joining United at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, he has made 155 appearances in all competitions, and though he has come under fire at times during his spell in the Premier League, he has shone during his swansong.

His seven Premier League goals this season mark his best-ever return in a single campaign in Europe’s top five leagues, surpassing his six for Real Madrid in 2020-21.

Six of his goals have come from non-penalty set-pieces, the most by a United player in a single top-flight campaign since Wayne Rooney in 2011-12 (seven).

There has been speculation that Casemiro could perform a U-turn and opt to stay in Manchester for another year – the club had the option to trigger a one-year extension to his deal – but the Brazilian is not tempted to do so.

“I am still enjoying it a lot [in Manchester],” Casemiro said after Brazil’s 2-1 friendly defeat to France, as quoted by The Athletic.

“It is huge, the affection that the fans have shown towards me. But I do really believe the decision is made and done.

“I believe there will be some difficult moments, in these [final] games at Manchester United.”

United are currently third in the Premier League as they seek to return to playing in the Champions League.

They have lost just one of their 10 games under Carrick since he took charge in January, and Casemiro was full of praise for the former midfielder’s impact since he replaced Ruben Amorim.

“Above all, Michael is a specialist in my position on the field; he was a truly great player,” he added.

“That makes everything much easier, and he is always talking to us. I feel like we are in a good dynamic right now in Manchester, and my objective now is to get the club back into the Champions League.”

United will face old rivals Leeds United when they return to action in the Premier League on April 13.