Forgotten from selection and reserves at United, Casemiro “melts” in two years and his future is uncertain

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This is the fifth time in a row that Casemiro has been left out of the squad. He was injured in November 2023, with Fernando Diniz continuing to coach the team. He was included in Dorival Junior’s first team, but was cut before the show after reporting pain in his thigh. He was not included in the next Copa America match. But the coach was keen to explain the standards and leave the doors open. In the last two episodes, his absence was not even commented on.

Casemiro’s situation attracts attention due to the radical change in performance. In Real Madrid’s last full season (2021/22), he was among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or and was the only Brazilian to be selected as a selection by FIFPro, the international federation of professional footballers. At United, the midfielder had a good first year and helped the team finish third in the Premier League, showing that he had no problems adapting.

Everything has changed since last season. Casemiro accumulated a series of medical problems that prevented him from continuing. When he was on the field, his performance fell below expectations. Meanwhile, Erik Ten Hag’s side have lost the direction they seemed to have found, which has increased fans’ and press’s dissatisfaction with the Brazilian.

Some of Casemiro’s matches were symbolic in this sense. One of them was in May, when he agreed to play impromptu in defense against Crystal Palace. He performed very poorly, and the team lost 4-0 in August, at the beginning of the current season, and failed to score two of the three goals in the defeat against Liverpool, and ended up being replaced in the first half. What’s more: he was banned from the team.

Casemiro started to be present more on the bench than on the field. He came on in the 42nd minute against Southampton and only attended the next two matches. It was the first time in eight years that the midfielder had spent two consecutive matches as an unused substitute. Since the fateful match against Liverpool, he has played just 90 minutes in two matches. One of them, against Barnsley (third tier), in the League Cup, where the top clubs take the opportunity to rest their key players.

Journalist Mario Mara, a Premier League commentator on ESPN, believes that the midfielder is involved in United’s crisis. After not winning the tournament for 11 years and becoming less and less the protagonist in conflicts, England’s greatest hero struggles to get back on his feet. During this period, there was a high turnover of technicians. After a promising first season, Ten Hag began to experience many changes and succumb to pressure. The team was more vulnerable defensively, and Casemiro was the most responsible.

– In the first season, Casemiro’s usage was better. In the second half, with more mistakes and clear boundaries from Ten Hag, he (the coach) ended up letting some players go, including Casemiro, in the final half. “A lot of belief in something different at that moment and a lot of giving in to pressure that Casemiro was a player who no longer offered much,” says Mara, who believes there is still room for the midfielder in United’s midfield.

– Casemiro cannot apply the pressure he is used to. However, for me he is United’s best defensive keeper. Kobe Maino (the 19-year-old midfielder the club is betting on) is supposed to mature alongside Casemiro. It is the best school for him.

In recent months, the Brazilian has seen his name linked to a possible departure from United. Speculation gained strength with the arrival of 23-year-old Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte for 50 million euros. But this has not been confirmed. Now, European press reports indicate that it should be negotiated in January. Saudi football would be the likely destination.