Manchester United midfielder Casemiro failed to impress whilst playing for Brazil in midweek.
The 31-year-old played the fully 90 minutes against Peru in a World Cup qualifier early on Wednesday morning (UK Time), and Brazilian outlet Terra gave a damning assessment of his display:
“The excellent midfielder Casemiro had his worst performance for the national team. He made everything wrong and gave the fans goosebumps.”
The main criticism levelled at the Brazilian was his poor passing, with even some of his short passes going astray and not finding a teammate.
A lot of his errors were due to Peru’s pressing and tight marking. It must be said that it wasn’t just a difficult night for Casemiro but the whole team, as they relied on a last-minute winner from Marquinhos to secure the 3 points in Lima.
Casemiro’s form is a major concern
United’s midfield has failed to function properly since the beginning of the season. Initially, the blame for that was placed at the door of manager Erik ten Hag, who had decided to operate with both Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes as part of a midfield three.
It left Casemiro with too much space to cover as the lone holding midfielder. However, even after Christian Eriksen returned to the starting eleven, addressing the balance in the middle of the park, Casemiro’s poor performances have persisted.
United do have an alternative option
With Sofyan Amrabat having arrived on loan from Fiorentina before the transfer window closed, the Red Devils do have a ready-made alternative if Casemiro doesn’t improve.
There has been talk of Amrabat playing alongside Casemiro but that may be too defensive in some matches. It will, therefore, be interesting to see if the Brazilian international is benched at some point by ten Hag.
