Casemiro‘s red card in Manchester United’s draw with Southampton looked like an unjust decision which shocked both teams.
United may want to appeal. There is little to lose at this point, with the Brazilian already facing a four-game ban.
The suspension is four matches rather than three because this was Casemiro’s second red card of the season.
After the FA Cup quarter-final with Fulham, Casemiro will be banned for three Premier League games in seven days after the international break.
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Manchester United transfer blunders
Casemiro has already served a couple of suspensions this season and United did not find his absence to be simple to negotiate.
The simple fact is that Casemiro is the only specialised defensive midfielder in the squad.
Erik ten Hag is now battling against the repercussions of a flawed transfer policy spanning numerous transfer windows.
It was clear around three years ago that Nemanja Matic would need replacing. United chose to extend his deal in 2020.
Despite extending his contract, United did not buy another young defensive midfielder.
Casemiro was worth waiting for when United signed him last summer, however, he has been asked to do too much.
There is no back-up, with Scott McTominay a clear downgrade at the position, who United have tried and failed to convert to a defensive midfielder.
McTominay lacks the positional sense to play the role, this has been clear for several seasons. He is a player who is being tipped to leave this summer too, with The Athletic reporting interest from Newcastle.
Perhaps he makes it work for four games, but he’s not the solution.
Signing Casemiro was inspired, but United should have an able back-up. This was not on Erik ten Hag, instead it is his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who ignored the position.
One obvious option was Moises Caicedo, who United backed away from in January 2021. He is now worth more than 10 times the price.
But there were other young players the club could have gambled on too. Right now the cupboard is empty.
Casemiro’s suspension shines a spotlight on this lack of depth. Manchester United must find him an able back-up this summer.
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