Manchester United will head into tonight’s Old Trafford showdown against rivals Leeds United without midfield maestro Casemiro, with the commanding Brazilian set to be absent for the next few Premier League games following his dismissal at home to Crystal Palace last weekend.
The experienced 30-year-old was handed his marching orders following a tussle with Will Hughes in that 2-1 victory, with Erik ten Hag revealing in his pre-match press conference that United won’t be appealing the three-game suspension, despite the Dutchman’s apparent frustration over the red card decision.
That has ensured that the Red Devils will be without the former Real Madrid star on the domestic front until the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at the end of February, although the £70m man is still able to feature in next week’s Europa League clash against Barcelona.
Ten Hag and co only recently suffered from the loss of Casemiro during the defeat to Arsenal a few weeks ago, with the 69-cap machine having been ruled out of the clash after serving a one-game ban for an accumulation of yellow cards – the last of those coming against the Eagles at Selhurst Park.
The ability to cover for the loss of the influential ace – who has been described by his manager as the “cement” in the team – has been impacted by injuries to both Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay, with options now severely limited in the middle of the park.
Although Ten Hag has both Fred and Marcel Sabitzer to call upon, neither of those have typically operated in a defensive midfield berth. The latter may potentially be required to feature in a playmaking role should Bruno Fernandes move out to the right flank to compensate for the absence of Antony, with the Portuguese ace having frequently been seen in a wide berth this season.
That lack of options may well ensure that it is an ideal time to hand teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo his first top-flight appearance, with the 17-year-old having already featured twice in domestic cups in recent weeks after forcing his way into the first-team reckoning.
While still something of a raw talent, the England youth international has been described as an “exceptional prospect” by Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston in the recent past after shining in the club’s youth ranks.
The exciting asset would seemingly be a viable option to start at the base of the midfield, having done so during last season’s FA Youth Cup triumph, scoring twice and providing one assist after starting in all six games in the competition.
The Stockport native also laid bare his defensive prowess as a result of his standout displays in the EFL Trophy run with the club’s U21 side earlier this season, having averaged 3.3 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game from his three appearances while also laying on 1.7 key passes per match.
Although the up-and-coming superstar had been operating against teams lower down the footballing pyramid, it is still telling that his record was similar to that of Casemiro, with the latter averaging 3.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in his 17 Premier League outings, along with 0.9 key passes per game.
That should indicate that, if Ten Hag is to take a gamble on Mainoo against managerless Leeds tonight, the 5 foot 9 menace could well help to somewhat ease the loss of United’s suspended supremo.
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