Harry Maguire and Casemiro backed for another year at Man United

By Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football Writer

Leny Yoro would love influential Harry Maguire and Casemiro to extend their Manchester United stays beyond the end of the season.

The Red Devils are well placed for Champions League qualification having won seven of their nine matches since Michael Carrick was named head coach for the remainder of the campaign in January.

Maguire, 33, and Casemiro, 34, have started every one of those matches but, like the popular head coach, are out of contract with third-placed United in the summer.

There is a lot to sort out behind the scenes in the coming weeks and months, but Yoro would like the experienced duo to stay at Old Trafford.

“Yeah, of course, having Harry in the team is good for us,” the 20-year-old centre-back said of Maguire.

“If he can stay next season, it’s really good for us, so I hope he’s going to extend his contract and he can stay with us. We’ll see, we’ll see anyway.”

On Casemiro, who United fans chanted to stay for “one more year” after the Brazilian opened the scoring in Sunday’s key 3-1 win against Aston Villa, Yoro said: “Everyone wanted him to stay.

“He’s a really important player for us, he showed it again today. Even in the dressing room, every day, he has the experience that no one else has in the team.

“He won everything, so this helped us a lot in the games and even outside the pitch.”

Former Real Madrid star Casemiro confirmed he was leaving in January, just days after Carrick’s first game in charge, so looks less likely to sign a new deal than Maguire.

The defender, who is hoping for an England recall this week, has established himself as a key player having experienced high and lows since his £80million move from Leicester in 2019.

Maguire put in a solid display as United overcame Champions League rivals Villa on Sunday, with defensive partner Yoro full of praise for him having overcome a shaky spell of his own at the end of 2025.

“I think every player has this phase in a season,” the defender, now in his second campaign with United, said.

“Sometimes you have bad moments, bad performances, and I’m happy to do good games now, to rebound well, so I’m just happy with the result.”

Asked if playing alongside players like Maguire helps, Yoro said: “Of course, of course. With all the experiences he has, he gave a lot of tips, he spoke to me a lot on the pitch, so this helped me a lot.

“He always speaks with me, like with the striker, sometimes he speaks before the game, or at half-time, about positioning as well, so playing with him is really good for me.

“We speak a lot. Even before the game, during the week, we speak a lot about the opponent.”

Yoro hopes the adversaries United are talking about next season are Champions League clubs as they push to end a rare, and costly, campaign without European football on a high.

“I think every player wants to play Champions League, especially when you play for United,” he added.

“This club has to play the Champions League, so hopefully we’re going to get it next season.”