Michael Carrick ruled out any reversal of Casemiro’s departure from Manchester United in the summer after the Brazilian scored in Monday’s 2-1 win against Brentford.
The midfielder’s header on 11 minutes was his ninth goal in the Premier League, second only for United to Benjamin Sesko, who registered just before half-time to seal victory. Casemiro has impressed all season, but previously announced he will leave in June after four years at the club. Carrick stated the decision will not be changed.
“It’s pretty clear – from both sides it’s pretty clear the decision,” said the interim manager. “It’s pretty clear, too, how much it means to him [playing for United] and probably the situation and the clarity of the decision has helped everything to be understandable for the supporters as well. Credit to him because he’s given absolutely everything and had some big moments for us, so all round it’s quite a nice direction for it to be taken.”
Mathias Jensen’s late 20-yard finish proved a consolation only for Brentford so United, who are third, need two points to seal Champions League qualification. If achieved, though, Carrick does not want United to stop there.
“This week’s been very effective in terms of the league,” he said. “Champions League is one thing, but it’s not something we should be celebrating either. “We want to be finishing high up the league and trying to get more points so our season doesn’t get to a close when that happens. It’s one thing certainly we need to try and achieve and we’ve put ourselves in a good position at this moment, but there’s still more work to be done.”
Keith Andrews was disappointed at the result, but content with the display. “I was really happy with how we performed overall,” said Brentford’s manager. “United started better than us, dangerous from corner kicks and got the lead. We calmed down after that, got to grips with the game, the occasion, the opposition better. The bravery of the players was really impressive.”
