There were heartwarming scenes at Old Trafford after Manchester United’s final home game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Casemiro said an emotional farewell to Manchester United fans on Sunday. A banner paying tribute to him was unfurled in the Stretford End, and there were a few Brazilian flags dotted around the stadium.
The midfielder and his family were presented with a special commemorative gift ahead of his departure, while Bruno Fernandes was presented with a framed shirt after equalling the single-season Premier League assist record.
Another gift was handed to Tyrell Malacia. The presentation was low-key, with a framed shirt handed to the defender and his family, who posed for a photo by the tunnel.
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Malacia was one of the last players to leave the pitch. He made a promising start to his time at United in 2022/23, but he played through a knee injury with pain injections at the end of that season before undergoing two rounds of knee surgery after the first operation proved unsuccessful.
It was, therefore, no surprise that he spent as long as he could on the Old Trafford pitch. Malacia’s daughter was by his side, and he appreciated the gift presented to him by a staff member.
The lap of honour finished in front of the Stretford End, and there were heartwarming scenes with the players and their loved ones everywhere you looked, albeit “a little bit chaotic”, as Michael Carrick described it when he made his way upstairs to speak at his post-match press conference.
Casemiro’s son showed he could follow in his dad’s footsteps as he playfully wiped out Bruno Fernandes’ child in the penalty area during a casual kickabout. Fernandes set his son up to score a goal with a pass. He finds a way to make an assist even when he’s not on duty.
Casemiro’s family were emotional pitchside. His mother carefully folded away a home-crafted ‘thank you’ message to fans that they’d stuck up on the glass of their box, making sure to take it home.
A red-tinted Brazil flag was folded away by another family member. Casemiro and his wife, Anna Mariana, held hands as they disappeared down the Old Trafford tunnel for the final time. The midfielder only let go of her hand to blow a kiss to United fans and to wave goodbye.
Casemiro was scheduled to speak at a post-match press conference. The idea of speaking to journalists after the game was his own, but a United staff member eventually confirmed he was “too emotional” to do so.
Carrick would have been made emotional by the reception he received as he left the pitch. He saluted the Stretford End, applauding and giving a thumbs-up, before heading down to the busy tunnel area.
Steve Holland was the first member of Carrick’s backroom staff to go down the tunnel, which felt appropriate for a man who shuns the limelight in favour of cracking on with the job behind the scenes.
Holland applauded United fans before disappearing. The 56-year-old was a massive United fan as a boy, and the significance of what he could achieve at United over the next few years won’t be lost on him.
Carrick and his coaching staff have been key to Kobbie Mainoo’s comeback at United, having immediately restored him to the starting team after Ruben Amorim left him on the periphery of the squad.
Mainoo played with his niece on the pitch while the chants of “Mainoo, United can’t play without you,” to the tune of Billy Ocean’s hit track ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’ cranked up a notch from the terrace.
The academy graduate eventually acknowledged the chant by fist-pumping and applauding the fans. The new Mainoo chant is catchy, but it’s also true: United should not be playing without him starting.
Bryan Mbeumo was pleased to see two French speakers in the front row. They appeared to know Mbeumo and called him over. The 26-year-old spoke to United’s security guard, and the pair were invited down the tunnel.
Fernandes came back out from the dressing room to speak to Manchester-based reporters because the mixed zone was not accessible. He was in great form, smiling as he chatted about the assist record.
A United staff member eventually shouted, “stewards, it’s time to clear the stands, please can you tell the fans to leave?”. Some supporters couldn’t get enough of the celebratory scenes in front of them.
There have been plenty of bad final days at Old Trafford. Sunday was an uplifting one.
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