Brazil boss explains dropping Man Utd midfielder Casemiro for first time in seven years as latest squad announced

Even if there was a creeping sense of inevitability about the Manchester United man’s omission from his country’s latest international selection, confirmation of the decision still raised a fair few eyebrows.

As Transfermarkt point out, the last time the Old Trafford ace was left out of the national team squad purely for tactical reasons – rather than because of injury or illness – was during the summer of 2017.

For context, Manchester United were preparing for their second season under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho back then. The Red Devils were in the process of swapping Romelu Lukaku for Wayne Rooney, the Belgian bruiser donning Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s number nine shirt as the Swede took ten.

Ibrahimovic eventually announced his retirement last year, despite still proving himself capable of influencing games at the same level at the age of 40.

Casemiro dropped by Brazil

It is very difficult indeed to imagine Casemiro possessing such longevity, strutting his stuff in one of Europe’s major leagues nearly a decade from now.

The 32-year-old looked like a sports car of a midfielder in a brilliant debut season at Man United. But, during a disastrous 2023/24, he has more resembled a battered old machine, leaking oil with too many miles on the clock.

Casemiro’s decline has been so stark, in fact, that he has been left out of Brazil’s squad for this summer’s Copa America. A decision which felt unimaginable this time 12 months ago was made by Dorival Junior, the new Selecao coach insisting that Casemiro is a man worthy of respect but maybe no longer quite the right fit for a more energetic, youthful Brazil roster.

“Casemiro deserves recognition from all of us,” Dorival says, speaking to UOL. “I spoke to him in Manchester three months ago and talked about his moment and that of his team.

“It doesn’t mean he’s ruled out (of a return to the Brazil team). He knows what I think of him and tomorrow I’ll make contact with him explaining what could come to happen in the future. He deserves consideration, affection, respect.

“We believe in a player of this level.”

Casemiro out of Copa America but Andreas Pereira in

Casemiro, a five-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid, has 75 Brazil caps to his name. He was one of his nation’s stand-out talents at the Qatar World Cup, when still at the peak of his powers.

Brazil, however, will now head into the Copa America with a midfield made up entirely of under-30s. And, what’s more, made up entirely of players based in the Premier League.

Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Wolves’ Joao Gomes and West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta are all present.

There is also a place for Andreas Pereira, the Belgian-born playmaker sold by Man United in a £10 million deal to Fulham in the same summer that Casemiro announced his arrival.