Casemiro has been in action for Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side during the international break.placeholder image
Casemiro has been in action for Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side during the international break. | Getty Images
Casemiro has been in action for Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side during the international break.
Bryan Mbeumo scored for Cameroon, Bruno Fernandes helped Portugal to two wins, and Brazilian duo Casemiro and Matheus Cunha got some game time in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. Casemiro captained Brazil in both of their international friendlies against Japan and South Korea, clearly showing that his former manager at Real Madrid still values him highly.
Amorim won’t be pleased with Casemiro’s minutes
Ahead of Man United’s game against Liverpool this weekend, Amorim won’t be pleased that Casemiro featured so heavily for Brazil, as he will likely be tired upon returning to Carrington ahead of Sunday’s crucial game against Liverpool.
The 33-year-old is already knocking on for a midfielder, and he played 90 minutes in both friendly matches. Adding to that, he has to travel back before the weekend, and fatigue will surely play a factor ahead of the Liverpool match. Amorim’s frustration will likely come from the fact that both of Brazil’s matches were friendly games, with World Cup qualification wrapped up.
In recent weeks, Amorim has been selecting Casemiro alongside Bruno Fernandes in midfield, ahead of Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo. He can’t afford to miss out on having his best XI against the Reds, but if Casemiro is low on fitness after the break, Amorim may be forced to bench him in favour of one of the other midfielders.
The United boss will likely not be pleased that Casemiro got so many minutes under Ancelotti, as it could give him a serious selection headache heading into the game at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Who else could Amorim be forced to drop?
In terms of team news for Man United, they have two players who are listed as doubts ahead of the Liverpool game. Firstly, Noussair Mazraoui has been dealing with a hamstring injury for several weeks, and he is nearing a return. It is not clear yet whether the Moroccan defender will be available on Sunday, but before the break, Amorim believed that he would be ready after a couple of weeks’ rest.
Young defender Ayden Heaven is also a doubt ahead of Sunday, as the 18-year-old suffered a minor knock whilst appearing for the England U20s, who lost 1-0 to the Swiss U20s last week.
Head coach Ben Futcher calmed any panic about Heaven’s injury, but it could mean that he may not be available this weekend. He told BBC Sport: "He picked something up. I don't think it is too serious, but we will have to see how it settles down."
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