Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has picked up an ankle injury playing for Brazil.
The 31-year-old was substituted with just over 10 minutes remaining in the World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on Thursday evening and, speaking after the match, caretaker manager Fernando Diniz said:
“As there was a stop (in play), I decided to make the three substitutions. We had a lot of control when they came on. Casemiro asked to come off due to a blow to his ankle.”
There is hope that the midfielder has only picked up a minor knock, rather than anything more serious, but there is no official word about his fitness at the moment.
Brazil take on Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night and, if Casemiro doesn’t feature in that game, he will be a major doubt for United’s next fixture against Sheffield United this weekend.
Casemiro’s form does raise question marks about his continued selection
It’s fair to say that the Brazilian international has had a very disappointing start to his second season at Old Trafford. He may have been handed United’s Player of the Month for September but that was mainly due to the goals he scored rather than his overall performances.
With Sofyan Amrabat and Scott McTominay pushing for starting spots in the middle of the park, Casemiro’s position in the eleven was already coming under pressure even before this injury setback
United have a pretty lengthy injury list
In addition to Casemiro, there are 8 other players currently on the treatment table. Sergio Reguilon (hamstring) and Raphael Varane (knock) are likely to be back for the trip to Bramall Lane.
However, the likes of Luke Shaw (muscular), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), Amad Diallo (knee) and Lisandro Martinez (foot) are all unavailable.
