Casemiro insists there is ‘no chance’ of extending his stay at Manchester United for another season as he wants to leave Old Trafford ‘through the front door’.
United had the option to extend Casemiro’s contract for another year but confirmed in January that the 34-year-old will leave the club at the end of the current campaign.
Casemiro has been one of United’s standout performers this season and has been a key figure in midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo during Michael Carrick’s time at Old Trafford.
Last week, Matheus Cunha added to the calls from United fans to extend Casemiro’s stay at the club for at least another season.
But the Brazil international has stressed the importance of leaving United ‘on a high note’ and says his ‘cycle has ended here’.
‘I don’t think there’s a chance, there’s no chance,’ Casemiro said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.
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‘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.
‘I’m moving on to a new chapter in my career. I still have to decide where I’m going. But I think I have to leave on a high note, I have to leave on top. I will be a lifelong United supporter here in England and I can only thank all the fans for their affection.
‘My priority is to talk to my family and see what they want. When I mentioned coming to Manchester United, they were the first to support me. My whole family was the first to support me, so even though they always say they’ll follow me and that we’ll be happy wherever I go, I need to talk to them,” he stated.
‘I need to think things through with them, because decision-making is very important right now. I still have to analyse things. Thank God things are going very well and it’s been a very good end to the season for me, a very good season for me. But I still need to talk to them.
‘In Spain, they have a saying: ‘to leave through the front door.’ And that’s always been one of the coolest things I’ve tried to convey through the clubs I’ve played for. It’s been really great, really exciting. With each game that gets closer, it gives you that pang in your heart, that emotion. But it’s been beautiful. All the games, the training sessions too, the day-to-day. I think it’s been a really beautiful story, especially this ending.
‘[Creating a connection with the fans] is one of the goals when you arrive at such a big club. Of course, in the end, you imagine one thing and things just happen. But this departure has been almost too perfect. I’m enjoying it, I’m enjoying it a lot, and I’m eternally grateful for what I’ve experienced here and for what I’m experiencing at such a big club as United.’
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