Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is on the bring of receiving another suspension. The Brazilian will miss the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla if he gets booked in the first match at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Casemiro has missed eight matches through suspension so far this season. The former Real Madrid star has been sent off twice in the Premier League, contributing to seven of the games he has been forced to sit out of.
He also missed the defeat to Arsenal in January after picking up his fifth yellow card in the top flight. United’s win over Everton on Saturday was the final match of Casemiro’s latest ban.
However, he could soon be absent again for Erik ten Hag. If he were to get picked against Sevilla, he would miss the return leg in Spain the following Thursday.
Casemiro was booked in both matches against old El Clasico rivals Barcelona in the play-off round. A third yellow would lead to a one-game ban.
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes is also in the same position as his team-mate. He picked up a yellow card in the second leg against Barca as well as the first leg of the last-16 tie against Real Betis.
Both players would be major losses for Ten Hag. The Dutchman will want as close to a full-strength squad as possible to take to Sevilla on April 20.
United have grown used to playing without Casemiro this season. The absence of Fernandes could be more of an issue for the Red Devils.
The Portugal international has been an almost ever-present player this season, featuring in 47 matches. Casemiro has been training with the United squad despite not being able to play of late.
And Ten Hag is hopeful he will be fit to play a key role now he is available again. Ten Hag said: “Yes of course, he is taking part [in training] and especially for a player like Casemiro, that is not an advantage.
“So, he needs a rhythm from the training and from games, so he misses that. But luckily he had a game for Brazil versus Morocco, and we are lucky to have played three games in one week, or six days, so he doesn’t miss that much.”
Source: express.co.uk
