1 week Ago By [email protected] (Tyrone Marshall)
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen arrived at Manchester United in the same transfer window and this summer they could have left in the same window. United were open to selling Casemiro, but a market never really formed for the Brazilian, while they were open to offers for Eriksen towards the end of the summer. In a window when the club desperately tried to raise funds, offloading two 32-year-olds whose best days appeared to be behind them would have made sense.
The problem with Casemiro is finding any club outside of Saudi Arabia willing to match the salary he is on at Old Trafford. At the same time, Eriksen was content to stay put rather than push for a move away. It did appear they had been bypassed in terms of the pecking order in midfield, however.
The £42m addition of Manuel Ugarte was seen as a replacement for Casemiro. Eriksen's place was in jeopardy after the £55m deal for Mason Mount last summer and the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo . ALSO READ: United have found an unexpected ally amid familiar criticism ALSO READ: United are vulnerable to the tactic taking Premier League by storm But Erik ten Hag knows better than anyone how quickly injuries can force plans to change, and this weekend his two 32-year-old midfielders could be reunited for a Premier League game for the first time since the catastrophic 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in May.
With Mainoo now out for around a month with a hamstring injury, Mount still working his way back to fitness, and Ugarte a late returner from international duty having limped out of Uruguay's final game with a knock, Ten Hag might have little choice but to start Casemiro and Eriksen behind Bruno Fernandes. The United manager does have other options. He has already handed Toby Collyer a debut this season, and the 20-year-old replaced Casemiro at half-time against Liverpool.
Ugarte could prove his fitness for a role, but it felt telling that he was an unused substitute against Porto and Aston Villa and doesn't appear to have Ten Hag's trust just yet. So if it is a return to a midfield of Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes, it will begin to feel very 2022/23. That season was Ten Hag's best at Old Trafford, but times have moved on, and now that selection will prompt concern rather than confidence.
To be fair to Eriksen, he has enjoyed an unexpected renaissance this season and Casemiro has steadied his own performances after his horror show against Liverpool. The problem is their record together and the feeling that they make life too easy for the opposition. Since the start of last season, Casemiro and Eriksen have started nine games together and United have won just three, which includes the 7-0 romp against League One Barnsley earlier this season.
Perhaps more tellingly, those nine games have seen 22 goals conceded, including four against Bayern Munich and Crystal Palace and three against Arsenal, Brighton and Porto. That's in stark contrast to their record together in 2022/23 when United won 19 of the 28 matches they started together. But then, so much from that season feels like a long time ago already.
Ten Hag is unfortunate that injuries are beginning to hamper his plans once again, but with his team now a run of five games without a win, he needs to engineer a performance and a result, even with a midfield he might have thought he had moved on from, in the Premier League at least..
