With his straight red card against Southampton, Casemiro will now miss Manchester United‘s next four matches. The Brazilian midfielder was sent off for a careless challenge on Southampton midfielder Alcaraz.
After last weekend’s humiliation defeat vs Liverpool, the Red Devils were hoping to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. But they were given a serious blow just before halftime when Casemiro was sent off.
Casemiro charged head-on into Southampton playmaker Carlos Alcaraz and was initially given a yellow card for the incident. However, after a quick VAR review, referee Anthony Taylor decided to reverse his earlier decision and send Casemiro out.
He needed some support from his United teammates as he went off the field and appeared devastated. After that, he apologised to Alcaraz for his vicious challenge which could have resulted in a long-term injury.
Who could replace Casemiro in the Manchester United midfield?
Casemiro’s absence in next four games will bring his telly of total fixtures missed since joining United to 9. For Man United, his absence will be a shattering blow as the Red Devils are depended heavily on his expertise in the midfield.
Additionally, it means that United will be without two of their starting midfielders for the upcoming matches. As Christian Eriksen is still out with a chronic ankle injury acquired against Reading in the FA Cup back in January.
After his challenge on Alcaraz versus Southampton, Casemiro genuinely appeared to have regained control, despite the fact that his foot continued to roll over the ball and into his opponent’s shin.
Although he should have known better than to risk another punishment by making such an excessive lunge, one could argue that he was rather unlucky to have been expelled as a result of the challenge.
Uncertainty surrounds how United will set up in midfield over the ensuing weeks as Erik ten Hag searches for a temporary replacement until Casemiro returns from his impending four-match suspension.
Fred might be forced back into the lineup after being benched for Southampton’s visit, and Scott McTominay could be reinserted into United’s starting lineup in place of his suspended teammate.
While the encounter at Old Trafford finished in a scoreless draw, further undermining United’s already tenuous chances of returning to the Premier League title battle.
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