Casemiro Urges Ancelotti to Reintegrate Neymar into Brazil Squad

Casemiro has already made peace with his Manchester United exit. His future, at least in his own mind, lies elsewhere. But his eyes are fixed firmly on one stage: the World Cup with Brazil – and on one man he believes can still light it up.

Neymar.

The 34-year-old midfielder, speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, made a clear and pointed plea to Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti: find a way to bring Neymar back into the heart of the national team.

Neymar has not played for Brazil since suffering a devastating rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee two-and-a-half years ago. The country’s record goalscorer has since undergone multiple procedures on the same knee, including minor surgery late last year and another intervention during the March international break. For many, that might have signalled the end of his time at the top.

Casemiro does not see it that way.

Neymar left Al-Hilal almost 18 months ago and has gone back to where it all began, Santos. Back home, back to the noise and the pressure and the expectation. There, he has quietly rebuilt his body and his rhythm. The goals have started to flow again, with strikes in back-to-back games just days before Ancelotti is due to reveal his Brazil squad.

For Casemiro, those flashes are enough to make the argument simple.

His message to Ancelotti is blunt but strategic: Neymar must be handled differently now. “My decision, yes, but (the) decision you need to (make) first is (tell him), ‘hey, Neymar, you don't play every game,’” he explained. In Casemiro’s view, Neymar is no longer the player to drag through 90 minutes twice a week. He is the player you unleash.

“He plays every game. For me, it's not perfect for him,” Casemiro said, outlining how the forward could be used as a decisive weapon rather than an ever-present. “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.”

Rio Ferdinand cut in: “He could change the game.” Casemiro did not 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 if anyone knows how Ancelotti thinks, it is Casemiro.

The pair’s relationship goes well beyond the usual player-coach dynamic. Ancelotti brought Casemiro back into the Brazil set-up last year after a long spell out of the picture – a period that mirrored Neymar’s own absence from the national side. Their bond was forged at Real Madrid and has endured across countries and competitions.

“I have good, very good feelings with him,” Casemiro said. “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.”

The respect runs deep. So does the conviction.

“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.”

Ask Casemiro what makes the Italian “special” and he doesn’t talk about formations first. He talks about people.

“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’.” The deal-making is emotional as much as tactical. Ancelotti, in Casemiro’s eyes, understands that you cannot win trophies by being just a good manager on the training pitch. “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 understanding will soon be tested again when Ancelotti sits down to finalise his Brazil squad. Neymar’s name will divide opinion. Fitness, age, risk. Casemiro’s view cuts through the noise: Brazil lack a game-changer of his type, and tournaments are often decided by one moment, one touch, one flash of genius.

Casemiro, meanwhile, prepares for his own crossroads.

He will leave Manchester United as a free agent this summer. The decision was made and communicated early in the year, and he has shown no sign of wavering. The midfielder told ESPN there is “no chance” of a U-turn, no late twist that keeps him at Old Trafford.

“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,” he explained. “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.”

His next club remains unknown, but he will choose his next manager with care. That much is clear. At this stage of his career, Casemiro is looking for more than a project or a paycheque. He wants someone who understands players the way Ancelotti does.

For now, though, his focus is simple: one last major tournament with Brazil, guided by a coach he calls a friend, and, if he gets his way, with Neymar back in yellow, waiting on the bench, ready to change everything with a single touch.