0 goals, 7 failed duels, 9x possession lost: United star sealed his Old Trafford exit with embarrassing display vs Wolves

Manchester United were held to a dismal draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford this evening — with Casemiro’s performance summing up his team’s woeful performance. Rock Bottom against Rock Bottom The Red Devils had the chance to jump into the top four with a win against the a side stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table. But, as has become customary this season, Ruben Amorim’s men conspired to squander their golden ticket into the Champions League places. Wolves had only managed two draws, with zero wins and 16 losses, before the trip to the Theatre of Dreams. But they had chances to grab all three points, with Senne Lammens making crucial saves to spare United’s blushes. Amorim had overseen an uptick in performance in recent weeks with an adaptation to his 3-4-2-1 system. But the Portuguese coach reverted back to his favoured set-up — and the result spoke for itself, with every player bar the goalkeeper looking a shadow of themselves from the Boxing Day triumph over Newcastle. Casemiro stood out as particularly poor, however, with the experienced Brazilian looking every bit of his 33 years of age at the heart of the the team. A transplant has never been more urgent to revive the failing midfield, and INEOS must reconsider their plan to wait until the summer to address the problem position. The Bumbling Brazilian With a host of United’s most influential attacking players absent, either through injury or international duty, this was an opportunity for Casemiro to stamp his authority in a must-win match. But the former Real Madrid star was a shadow of the defensive midfielder who dominated European football at the Santiago Bernabeu. He finished the match with only one interception, two recoveries, zero blocks and seven lost duels. He surrendered possession nine times and was dribbled past twice, making two fouls and just four successful tackles. Casemiro fared better when distributing the ball, completing 41 of 49 accurate passes (84%), and creating one great chance which Benjamin Sesko failed to convert. StatValue Minutes Played96 Goals0 Assists0 Passes (%)41/49 (84%) Key Passes2 Tackles4 Blocks0 Interceptions1 Recoveries2 Dribbled Past2 Fouls2 Statistics provided by Sofa Score But the Brazil international — the best paid player at the club — should have been more impactful in possession against a side destined for relegation. His contract expires at the end of the season, though United retain the option to extend it by twelve months. There is zero appetite to activate this clause, however, with INEOS desperate to be rid of his exorbitant salary. There had been suggestions a new extension, on drastically reduced terms, was in the works — but tonight’s performance, or lack thereof, should be the final nail in the coffin of Casemiro’s career at Old Trafford. Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Darragh Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.