Brazil will be without Casemiro when they take on Bolivia in their upcoming World Cup qualifier.
The World Cup will take place in the USA, Mexico, and Canada next summer, and Brazil have already secured their place in the finals.
Brazil have kicked on since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed Head Coach in May. The Italian recalled players like Antony and Casemiro, whom Fernando Diniz and Dorival Junior had previously overlooked.
As things stand, Casemiro is the only United player in the Brazil squad, following Antony’s permanent move to Real Betis in the final week of the transfer window.
Casemiro has one year left to run on his contract at Old Trafford. The 33-year-old could return to his homeland if he doesn’t accept potential offers from Saudi Arabia.
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Casemiro suspended for Bolivia clash
Former Real Madrid manager Ancelotti has acknowledged the difficulty of replacing a player like Casemiro in midfield.
Casemiro is suspended after receiving a yellow card in their 3-0 win over Chile on Friday. It was his third yellow card since the qualifiers began, resulting in a one-game suspension.
This means Ancelotti needs to form a midfield without Casemiro at the heart of it. The Italian found a way to cope without the midfield veteran at Real Madrid, but now he must do the same with Brazil.
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Ancelotti confessed that finding a midfielder with Casemiro’s characteristics is ‘impossible’.
“Looking for a midfielder with Casemiro’s characteristics is impossible,” Ancelotti told reporters, as quoted by Trivela.
“There’s no other Brazilian player who has the same characteristics as Casemiro. But we have other players who can play in that position with different characteristics. It could be Andrey Santos, it could be Bruno.
“I also think that with different characteristics, because I’m not crazy, Paquetá can also play as a holding midfielder because he has the skill and technical characteristics to build play from the back.”
Casemiro will be available for Brazil in October when they take on South Korea and Japan.
Ruben Amorim has similar ‘Casemiro’ problem at Man Utd
The only area of the team United didn’t strengthen in the summer was the midfield department, despite losing Christian Eriksen at the end of his contract.
It has been noted for at least two years that Casemiro is slowing down and needs to be replaced with younger legs, but finding a suitable replacement has proved to be a difficult task.
Manuel Ugarte is a different type of midfielder, and reports suggest that Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is a target to keep an eye on.
One thing is certain, though. Amorim is having the same problem as Ancelotti when it comes to finding a replacement for Casemiro.