Just 16 passes complete… Man Utd star has game to forget at worst time in Ruben Amorim’s opener

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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim showed his ruthless side with an early substitution in the draw with Ipswich Town.

New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is the man every player wants to impress. And one played had a poor performance at the worst possible time.

Amorim showed he is not willing to tolerate poor displays, hauling Casemiro off after just 56 minutes.

Casemiro vs Ipswich

Casemiro had bounced back from a poor start to the season under Erik ten Hag to really hit form during Ruud van Nistelrooy’s four games as interim boss.

Speaking prior to kick-off, Ruben Amorim explained his team selection was influenced by wanting to pick players who had the full week training under him, where possible.

Casemiro was one of those, taking part in Amorim’s first session, whereas Kobbie Mainoo is not fully fit, and Manuel Ugarte only had one day of training.

Against Ipswich, Casemiro got the start, and he did not even last an hour. The Brazilian was taken off in a double substitution along with Jonny Evans after just 56 minutes.

Casemiro had seen little possession, completing just 16 of 23 passes, a lowly 70 per cent. This spoke to his inability to take control of the game.

He had one good moment, a searing long ball that put Diogo Dalot in for a chance. That aside, there was little for Casemiro to be positive about.

Casemiro failed to win a single tackle or make a single interception. And even though he played just 56 minutes, there was no compelling case to keep him on.

Eriksen may not have helped

One of the issues for Casemiro was he was partnered in the middle by another ageing star, Christian Eriksen.

While this briefly worked for Erik ten Hag in his first season, it is a partnership which has struggled for United in 2024.

Eriksen completed 33 of 41 passes – 80 per cent – and failed to create a chance. The Dane actually did make one tackle and two interceptions before being brought off on 68 minutes.

When United take on Bodo/Glimt in midweek, and then Everton next weekend, it would be a big surprise if the Casemiro and Eriksen midfield is selected again.