Had Manchester United failed to beat Chelsea on Saturday evening, had they failed to capitalise on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card under the Old Trafford lights, Ruben Amorim might have reached a point of no return.
At least, the Portuguese tactician would have slid deeper into the pit which threatens to engulf him, having laboured to a woeful 15th-placed Premier League finish last year, losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur and enduring more inconsistency across the opening weeks of the season.
Amorim is under no illusions about the scale of the task still ahead of him, but he is determined to make it work at The Theatre of Dreams, and, with Bruno Fernandes still leading the ranks from the centre circle, there’s a belief that the club will rise again.
The significance of Bruno Fernandes
Had Man United failed to beat Chelsea, tensions would have boiled over. They didn’t, with the Red Devils scoring a hard-fought, well-deserved victory, lifting them to ninth in the standings.
Fernandes got the ball rolling, turning in from close range following Patrick Dorgu’s powerful header. He continued to provide United with a presence across attacking and defensive phases, so passionate and rousing from the middle of the park.
Thanks to data provided by Sofascore, we can observe that the Portugal international, 31, also won four duels and two tackles across his 87 minutes, replaced late on by Kobbie Mainoo.
He might be getting on a bit, but Bruno is still the leading force in this side, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. If United are to rise once again, he will form the nucleus of the resurgence.
However, it’s worth noting that Fernandes has entered the penultimate year of his £300k-per-week contract, and while INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe would love nothing more than a renewal, that might prove difficult, for Fernandes will want to remain among the highest earners.
Surprisingly, the Iberian playmaker isn’t actually the top earner at the club. Indeed, the man above him is a controversial number one, and it may be that he needs to be sold in 2026.
Man United must sell their top earner
Casemiro’s Manchester United contract expires at the end of the current campaign, though the club have the option to extend the veteran’s stay for an additional year.
Curiously, the 33-year-old has enjoyed something of a revival under Amorim’s wing. “Leave the football before the football leaves you,” Jamie Carragher notoriously said of the Brazilian in 2024, but Casemiro has bounced back, providing an anchoring presence in the centre.
But it’s imperfect, there’s no doubt about that. Having signed for the Red Devils from Real Madrid for a whopping £70m fee in August 2022, Casemiro has played 130 matches for the club, scoring 18 goals and winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
This season, he has started four of his side’s five Premier League fixtures thus far, watching from the bench as Pep Guardiola’s side gave their neighbours a hiding in the Manchester derby.
Casemiro scored what proved to be the winning goal during the recent win over Chelsea, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as he got himself sent off before the interval to hand the Blues a lifeline in a match they were struggling to find room to breathe in.
Perhaps he was unfortunate to have been shown a second yellow for hacking down Andrey Santos, but the fact remains there is a rash streak about the South American, who has now been dismissed three times in the Premier League.
United need to sign a new number six, and no mistake. Casemiro is still capable of putting in a “monster shift”, as has been said by Statman Dave, but there’s plenty not to like there too.
Casemiro
2026
£350k-per-week
Bruno Fernandes
2027
£300k-per-week
Mathhjis de Ligt
2029
£195k-per-week
Harry Maguire
2026
£190k-per-week
Matheus Cunha
2030
£180k-per-week
Last winter, for example, AS Roma had shown an interest in signing Casemiro, but the interest ultimately came to nought. Still, it underlines the abiding curiosity in one of the most accomplished midfielders of his generation, and is something INEOS must consider in the forthcoming January window.
Indeed, if Amorim truly wants his project to hit the heights he would have envisaged upon signing the contract, he would do well to inform the board that he wants Casemiro gone, perhaps then accelerating a bid for Carlos Baleba, with the Brighton & Hove Albion talent of a vested interest to the Devils during the summer, who had been willing to pay a figure in the region of £100m for him, but for the Seafulls to maintain an unwillingness to do business.
So be it. But Baleba’s head was turned by the thought of a move to Manchester, and the club’s interest isn’t going to have gone away, merely been shelved until the time comes when they can strike again.
Indeed, it’s already been suggested that United are preparing a January move for the Cameroonian prospect, who, aged only 21, has already established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents. It’s felt that a figure close to that which Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo – £115m – would need to be forked out, so recouping finances from the wage bill would ease the cost and then some.
Should Casemiro be sold – for what would inevitably be a small fee – Man United’s wage bill would indeed reduce dramatically, and then a concerted transfer assault on the south coast could be mounted.
Casemiro and Fernandes celebrated together when the Brazilian put paid to Chelsea’s resistance and made it two-nil before 40 minutes at Old Trafford.
He still offers something, the 33-year-old, but Man United wanted to spend big on a new holding midfielder this summer, and are expected to go again in 2026.
Given the staggering pay packet Casemiro takes home each month, is there really any justification for his continuing presence in Amorim’s squad?