Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest team news: Casemiro available for Old Trafford farewell

Casemiro is available for what could be his Old Trafford farewell, with Michael Carrick saying the midfielder has resumed training this week and is still fully involved before his expected summer departure as a free agent. Benjamin Šeško remains a late doubt after a knock, so Manchester United still have one important selection call to make before Nottingham Forest arrive.

Carrick’s update on Casemiro

Carrick did not dress it up. “Yeah, Case's available,” he said to thehardtackle.com, and his wider comments made the point plainly enough: “he's been fantastic for me, for us as a group” and “he's fully invested”. That fits the picture around Casemiro this week, with the midfielder back in training and set for what could be his Old Trafford farewell.

The numbers help explain why this feels like a meaningful call-up rather than a courtesy appearance. Casemiro has made 33 Premier League appearances this season and carries a 7.19 rating. Those are the sort of figures that make his availability useful for Manchester United, especially when Carrick is already speaking about clarity, commitment and a strong connection with the supporters.

United still have a decision to make up front

Šeško’s situation is less settled. The brief says he faces a late fitness test after a knock, and if he cannot start, Joshua Zirkzee is set to be the central striker. That leaves Manchester United with a straightforward but important choice, because Šeško has made 30 Premier League appearances and scored 11 league goals.

That is a real loss if he cannot go from the start. United do not need to be overly dramatic about it, but they do need a forward who can finish the evening cleanly if Forest sit deep and force the game into narrow margins.

Matthijs de Ligt is ruled out after surgery on a persistent lower back injury, so the squad picture is not completely clean either.

Forest do at least bring some problems of their own. Nottingham Forest are missing Willy Boly, John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Morgan Gibbs-White is hopeful of playing in a protective face mask. Gibbs-White has made 35 Premier League appearances this season and has a 6.89 rating, which is why any return, even with protection, matters for them.

Carrick’s strongest point was about Casemiro’s mentality, and that feels like the key part of the story. The farewell angle is there, but the football angle is simpler: United have a senior midfielder available, a striker still under a late check, and an opponent missing a long list of players. If Šeško is cleared, United’s shape looks more settled. If he is not, Zirkzee starts and the headline from the team sheet shifts toward Casemiro’s last Old Trafford appearance.