It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of Casemiro to Manchester United since his £70m summer arrival from Real Madrid. The midfielder has been instrumental in the rise up to third place for Erik ten Hag’s team.
If Marcus Rashford’s goals are the single most important aspect of United’s current run of only one defeat in last 15 games and 13 home wins on the spin, then the Brazilian’s midfield prowess is a close second.
It is against that backdrop that Casemiro is now suspended for United’s next three games — successive league fixtures against Leeds United and a match with Leicester City — after being sent off for throttling Will Hughes at the weekend.
Casemiro last missed a league outing when United lost 3-2 at Arsenal when he was suspended following an accumulation of five yellow cards. Before that, the only league game he didn’t start since his integration to the team was the 6-3 drubbing at Manchester City in October.
There is no doubt that Casemiro will be a huge loss for Ten Hag over the next two weeks — he will, however, be available for the trip to face Barcelona in the Europa League play-off first leg next Thursday — and what makes the manager’s headache worse is that there are also injuries to contend with in the midfield area.
Christian Eriksen is out until early May with the ankle injury suffered when Reading’s Andy Carroll crashed through him in an FA Cup tie. Donny van de Beek is sidelined until the end of the season with a serious knee injury too.
Therefore, the prospect of the return of ‘McFred’ seemed likely — but Scott McTominay has a muscle problem and may be out for another week or two. Though, it is possible the Scotland international may make at least one of the games for which Casemiro is suspended.
Fred, who has looked increasingly assured and had clearly been earmarked by Ten Hag to renew his national team partnership with Casemiro in Eriksen’s absence, looks a certainty to start when Leeds come to Old Trafford this evening. And alongside him will likely be Marcel Sabitzer.
The 28-year-old midfielder was brought in on loan from Bayern Munich on the last day of the transfer window and had only one minute of domestic action under his belt since November 12 due to the extended Bundesliga winter break. He made a brief cameo against Crystal Palace on Saturday and, with his greater attacking instincts, would presumably play the more advanced role alongside Fred.
Loanee used to running a midfield
Sabitzer is well-equipped to step into United’s midfield void. The Austrian is accustomed to playing a high-energy and hard-running game having had six seasons with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga along with a campaign at their sister club, Salzburg.
He became a fulcrum of the Leipzig side that made the Bundesliga it’s home following promotion under Ralph Hassenhuttl and flourished under the management of Julian Nagelsmann, reaching a Champions League semi final in 2020. Sabitzer epitomised Leipzig’s fast-paced style and was the engine that launched their blistering attacks.
The move to Bayern 18 months ago has not gone as planned. Nagelsmann, who also signed for the reigning Bundesliga champions that summer, tended to favour Leon Goretzka as Joshua Kimmich’s partner in midfield and Sabitzer found himself often arriving as a substitute.
Therefore, the chance to show United and the Premier League that he still has the ability to play at the top level beckons as opportunity knocks following Casemiro’s absence. Ten Hag believes that Sabitzer has the necessary match fitness to cope with manageress Leeds’ in-your-face, high-tempo style.
Even though consideration may have been given to Lisandro Martinez being deployed as Fred’s partner, a switch to a 4-3-3 or even Victor Lindelof stepping forward into a holding midfield role, Sabitzer will get his opportunity.