For Manchester United, the season hasn’t gone well thus far. Currently sitting at 14th place in the Premier League, the Red Devils have only managed to accumulate 8 points thus far. Only two of Erik ten Hag’s team’s games have been won; they were against Fulham and Southampton. They have also drawn twice and lost three.

The Red Devils are disappointed that they haven’t been able to capitalize on their FA Cup success from the previous season. Despite finishing in a disappointing eighth place in the league, Ten Hag’s greatest victory of the year—their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City—rescued the season.

Erik ten Hag-1
Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, both academy alumni, both scored goals to ensure the victory that day.

The careers of Garnacho and Mainoo at United

For United’s dynamic young duo, their ascent to the top has been extraordinary. Their brief tenure at United has been filled with significant responsibility, which culminated in their helping Ten Hag’s team win the FA Cup.

Kobbie Mainoo, a midfielder for Manchester United
Numerous positive traits of the duo were demonstrated by their goals at Wembley. Garnacho’s came from his unwavering pressure, his never-say-die attitude, and his ability to manipulate Josko Gvardiol into making a mistake so he could tap in.

He set up the move for Mainoo’s goal from the beginning, finding Marcus Rashford to pass the ball to Garnacho, and then finishing with the ball at the feet of the teenager in the penalty box to double United’s lead. In a nutshell, Mainoo’s technical and composed skillsets and Garnacho’s direct and relentless ones.

They’ve already participated in many games wearing that well-known red shirt. The youthful Argentina winger has made 97 appearances for the Old Trafford team so far, contributing 13 assists and 19 goals. His English colleague has already participated in 44 games, scoring five goals and dishing out assists.

Despite their elevated prominence in the first squad, they have not yet received a substantial salary increase. Garnacho reportedly makes ‘only’ £50k a week, while Mainoo makes far less, only £20k. Just six players make less money than the winger, and two less than the midfielder for England.

Hojlund-Garnacho-Mainoo
Without a doubt, the two are United’s best players going forward and the foundation of the squad. But United’s roster also includes a few players who are not here to stay, like Casemiro, an experienced player who has been performing poorly for a while.

United stats for Casemiro

When all is said and done, the £70 million that United paid Real Madrid to acquire Casemiro in the summer of 2022 turned out not to be a smart move. Despite having his greatest season throughout the first half of his rookie campaign, the Brazilian’s slide has been swift and alarming.

Man, UTD, Casemiro, and Martinez
Under Ten Hag, the seasoned midfielder—who had five Champions League titles with Los Blancos—has started to play fewer and fewer minutes. Despite having made 92 appearances for the team in all competitions, he has only participated in six Premier League games this year.

Casemiro’s statistics with Manchester United during each Premier League season

Stat

2022–2023

2023–2024

2024–2025

Games

28

25

6.

Minutes

2127

1985

278

complete nineties

23.6

22

3.

Objectives

4

1.

0

Helps

3.

2.

0

Transfermarkt statistics

Last season, Jamie Carragher criticized the 32-year-old for his performances. At the conclusion of the previous season, the former Liverpool defender who is now a Sky Sports pundit stated that he had to “call it a day at this level and move.”

He is remarkably the highest paid employee at Old Trafford. At present, Casemiro’s weekly salary is approximately £350k, which is five times greater than the combined salary of Garnacho and Mainoo, who make £70k a week. This seems unfair, especially in light of the young players’ contributions to the team, especially in light of the midfielder’s rapid downfall.

Casemiro-De-Ligt-Man-Utd
United may have to determine whether it is better to use these sums on the struggling Brazilian, who is no longer a regular in the first squad and may even leave in January, according to recent reports.

Including his £18.2 million annual pay from the previous two seasons, the aging talent has ultimately cost the club at least £106 million in wages and transfer fees.