Such is the state of affairs at Manchester United currently that it already seems like everyone is on the edge but for one particular player, the next game holds even more importance.
Manchester United resume their Premier Leage campaign after the international break on September 14 away at Southampton.
The newly-promoted Saints are a banana skin, even though United haven’t lost on their last 15 away trips there.
There could be changes in the offing for that game but one player in the Manchester United squad will hope to keep his place and finish a redemption arc that started with tears in this same venue 18 months ago…
Casemiro’s game to forget
After putting in a historically bad display vs Liverpool, where he was hooked off at half-time in favour of Toby Collyer making his league debut, Casemiro is facing scrutiny anyway.
It is poetic, then, that his next opponent will be one where he had his then-worst moment in English football.
The date was March 12, 2023, and United were clinging onto fourth position in the league when a trip to St Mary’s Stadium beckoned.
United started well, had a penalty appeal denied, and then came Casemiro’s worst nightmare in the 34th minute.
Having been shown a yellow initially for a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz, the referee was advised to look again by VAR, after which the card was changed to red.
It was his second red in quick succession, and in many ways, the beginning of the decline that has left Casemiro the shell of the player he is today.
Casemiro was inconsolable and left the pitch in tears that day, going on to miss four games and never regaining that early-first-season form that had fans raving about him.
A shot at redemption
With Manuel Ugarte unlikely to start this game due to a packed international schedule, it is likely that Casemiro will keep his place at the base of midfield.
That means all eyes will be on him as to how he can bounce back from his nightmare game vs Liverpool.
His history at Southampton adds another angle to a story that has already invited much scrutiny on the Brazilian.
In many ways, it is effectively a sink or swim game for him, as a good performance here will push back against people who think he’s done at the top level while exorcising the Southampton stadium demons.
A bad display, however, might well end his time at United as a starter with a view to being sold next summer.
That would be harshly poetic too, as St Mary’s Stadium is where the decline began.
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