Man United news: 'I kept trying to show the coach he was wrong' - Casemiro opens up on Amorim spell

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has spoken about his relationship with former boss Ruben Amorim in an interview.

The Brazilian arrived from Real Madrid in 2022 for £70m and recently announced his summer departure. Both parties have mutually agreed not to extend his lucrative £350,000-a-week contract. The 34-year-old has made a remarkable return to form and supporters have been vocal in their support for him. He had previously found himself on the sidelines under the Portuguese boss.

He was dropped from the squad following a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in December 2024. He was left out of the starting line-up for the next nine games and was an unused substitute in seven. Youngster Toby Collyer was even given priority over him.

However, the Brazilian fought his way back and played a key role in the team's run to the Europa League final, which the Red Devils lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.

He has also become indispensable to interim boss Michael Carrick. Under his stewardship, Manchester United have won 10 of their 14 matches and secured a place in the Champions League with games to spare.

The fight for a spot and a huge triumph

Although he has won the Champions League five times, he considers his return to the starting line-up an exceptional achievement. He described the situation in detail to ESPN Brasil.

"It may have been one of my greatest achievements because, with all the humility in the world, the most normal thing would be to say: 'Hey, the coach isn't using me? No problem, I've already won a lot of titles in my career, I've already achieved many things in my life and I'm here, the coach doesn't want to count on me, let him go and I'll stay here.' But no."

"I kept working, I kept trying to show the coach that he was wrong, that he was mistaken about me. I could have, as we say in the world of football, given up, moved on, and that's it. But I kept working, kept trying to change the coach's opinion, and I ended up succeeding, I finished playing and having a great end to the season, playing in a Europa League final."

"Despite having had several achievements in my career, this may have been one of the greatest achievements I had: reversing the coach's opinion. I wasn't playing because of the coach's opinion. And he ended up putting me in to play because of my merit and work, entirely my own," said the midfielder.

Clear support for the new boss and a definitive end

Casemiro, who has scored a remarkable nine goals in 33 league appearances this season, also backed Carrick in the interview, saying the interim boss is deserving of a permanent deal and has absolutely everything to be a great manager, having already shown very good qualities.

Despite supporters' pleas, he is determined to take on a new challenge in the summer.

"I don't think there's a chance, there's no chance [of staying another year]. It's leaving through the front door. It's been four beautiful, wonderful years, and I'm eternally grateful not only to the club, but to the fans. I think if there's one thing I'll cherish most from these four years here, it's having the fans with me. But no, I think it's over. The cycle has ended here," he concluded.