Casemiro Explains Why He Gave FA Cup Medal to Manchester United Teammate
- Casemiro has revealed why he gifted his FA Cup medal to his Manchester United teammate Tyrell Malacia
- The defender has been recovering from injury for nearly two years and recently returned to first-team action
- Malacia joined Man United in 2022 and was seen as a long-term solution to their left-back issues
Manchester United United midfielder Casemiro has disclosed why he gave his teammate Tyrell Malacia his FA Cup winners medal in May.
The Dutch defender has battled injuries for nearly two years after a bright start at Old Trafford.
The left-back recently made his long-awaited return to the team on Thursday in the Europa League against Bodo/Glimt.
Malacia joined Man United in 2022 and was seen as a long-term replacement and backup for injury-prone Luke Shaw. However, he has played only 40 matches since, because of serious injuries.
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Why Casemiro gave medal to Malacia
Malacia didn't play a single minute in the 2024/25 season, which led to many strange conspiracy theories about his absence. It turns out he was fighting to save his career after a series of serious injuries.
“I had to start my rehab over, basically. I had one day to be disappointed and then I had to be like, ‘OK, we go again’,” he told The Athletic via The Standard.
He looked shaky in his return on Thursday, but it is a good sign he was able to play after more than 500 days out. He watched his team win the FA Cup from the stands in May.
He said Casemiro gave him his medal. The Brazilian has explained why he did so.
"I didn't know Malacia had talked about it, but it's true, I gave him my medal," Casemiro said via The Mirror. "He hadn't played a single game that season, and he didn't want to climb the steps.
"There was no medal for him, so I gave him mine. He's part of the team and we're counting on him. Even though he hasn't played this season, we love him, we need him and he also needs love."
Malacia will need to work on his fitness as the season progresses to reach the level he was in 2022.
Casemiro lashes out Garnacho
Briefly News earlier reported that Casemiro was visibly frustrated with Manchester United teammate Alejandro Garnacho during the Premier League match against Chelsea.
Despite the Red Devils playing their first game since Erik ten Hag’s departure, Garnacho's performance drew anger from Casemiro. The young winger struggled throughout the match and notably failed to track back after losing possession, leading to a furious outburst from the Brazilian midfielder.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke