It was the lowest point of Casemiro's Manchester United career. A 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle on 30 December 2024.
That night, his team-mate Joshua Zirkzee was sarcastically cheered off by his own supporters, substituted after just 33 minutes.
But the common consensus that night was that if Casemiro had been brought off at that point, the reaction would have been worse.
The 33-year-old didn't play for a month after that, consigned to the bench for the following five games.
Yet if there was a debate now as to which player United could least afford to lose for the rest of the season, Casemiro would be near the top of the list.
Once, the Brazilian looked leggy and exposed in midfield. Now, he shines. The midfielder will leave Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of the season - and it looks as if he will do so on a positive note. How has the veteran turned it around?
'Form is temporary, class is permanent,' the football adage goes. But form is dictated by a number of factors.
A footballer's performances can be affected by the side they play for, their tactics, their team-mates. Form is about situation.
So it can look as if a player has become worse - when in reality, the conditions around them have changed, limiting their chance to thrive.
This season, Casemiro has found himself in the situations that get the best out of him, more often.
When Ruben Amorim was United's head coach, between November 2024 and January 2026, Casemiro had to play in a physically demanding role.
But his pre-season preparation was key in matching those demands this season, with the midfielder visibly leaner and stronger.
"Pre-season [is] a time to really grind, and really do some real work, then during the season you can focus more on the games themselves," he said about his summer.
Amorim also deserves some credit for improving the squad's fitness this season too, a notable strength of his.
When Liverpool were looking at successors to Jurgen Klopp, one area they looked at was an ability to keep their players fit, at which Arne Slot ranked second only to the Portuguese manager.
The fact United haven't played in European competition this season and were eliminated early from the domestic cups - meaning a total of just 40 games - will have helped protect Casemiro's legs in his final season at United too.
Published By: Ajide Micheal Oluwabunmi.
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