Casemiro Calls for Neymar's Inclusion in Brazil World Cup Squad

Casemiro is already talking like a man with one foot out of Old Trafford and the other planted firmly on the road to the World Cup – and he knows exactly who he wants alongside him.

Not just Carlo Ancelotti. Neymar.

The Manchester United midfielder, who has made it clear he will leave the club this summer, has thrown his weight behind Brazil’s all-time leading scorer and urged Ancelotti to take a calculated gamble on the 34-year-old forward.

Neymar has not pulled on the Brazil shirt since suffering a ruptured ACL and meniscus in his left knee two-and-a-half years ago. The same knee has been under the knife twice more since then, including a minor operation late last year and another procedure during the March international break.

For most players, that run of injuries would quietly close the door on a World Cup dream. Neymar has kicked it back open.

Back at Santos after leaving Al-Hilal almost 18 months ago, he has pieced his body and rhythm together again. The goals have returned – strikes in back-to-back games – just as Ancelotti prepares to read out the names for his Brazil squad.

Casemiro doesn’t see a dilemma. He sees an opportunity.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, he spelt out the role he believes would unlock Neymar without breaking him.

“My decision, yes, but (the) decision you need to (make) first is (tell him), ‘hey, Neymar, you don't play every game,’” Casemiro said, arguing that the forward should be used as a specialist weapon rather than a 90-minute workhorse.

“He plays every game. For me, it's not perfect for him, I think he comes, and the game is not finished, the game is new, new. And (contributing) a special assist, a special goal is (the role) for him.”

Ferdinand cut in: “He could change the game.” Casemiro didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, change the game, and we don't have this player in this moment, we don't have, so, for me, in my opinion (yes), but it's Ancelotti's decision.”

That last line matters. Because Casemiro’s faith in Ancelotti runs deep.

This is not just a former player talking politely about a past coach. This is a man who describes one of the most decorated managers in history as a friend, and means it.

“I have good, very good feelings with him,” Casemiro said of the Italian, who brought him back into the Brazil setup last year after his own spell in the international wilderness.

“He's my friend, he's my friend. I know what he likes, what he doesn't like, I know everything. I've known Ancelotti for a long time, he's (been) my friend for a long time, so I know sometimes I push here, I don't push here, I know everything about Ancelotti.

“Ancelotti is in the top three in the world. In the last 15 years, he's (been) the best. He's the best, so Ancelotti is not just my manager, he's my friend.”

Asked what makes the Italian “special” in a profession crowded with big reputations and bigger egos, Casemiro pointed to the way Ancelotti handles the dressing room.

“For me, the first thing is (that) he talks about what the players like to lose. You know? What the players like.

“‘I give you one thing, you give me this’. But it's impossible to win with just a good manager, you need a good tactic, tactical.

You need to know about this; it's impossible to have just one good thing. For winning trophies, you need everything, but for me, the best thing is a very good manager, he understands the players.”

That bond will matter when Casemiro walks away from Manchester United at the end of the season. He will be a free agent, a serial winner able to choose his next move and his next coach with care.

What he will not do, he insists, is stay where he is.

The 34-year-old told ESPN he has no intention of performing a U-turn on his decision to leave, a call he says he made clear inside the club at the start of the year.

“I don't think there's a chance, there's no chance, mostly because of what I said, you know? Go out the big door.

“I think it was four beautiful, wonderful years, and I am eternally grateful not only to the club, but to the fans, but I think I have to leave on good terms, I have to go out on top. I will be an eternal United fan here in England, and I just have to thank all the love from the fans.”

So Casemiro’s next chapter will not be in Manchester red. His eyes are on yellow and green again, on one more tilt at the biggest prize with a coach he trusts and a forward he believes can still tilt a tournament.

The question now is whether Ancelotti shares that same faith in Neymar’s body – and in Casemiro’s vision of a game-changing role – when he finally reads out that squad list.