Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is at risk of being axed by Erik ten Hag due to five areas of concern.The 31-year-old established himself as a stalwart of the Red Devils’ starting XI last season, and at times looked imperious in front of the back four.However, he has experienced somewhat of a drop-off this season, having been sent off in Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Galatasaray and hooked at half-time against Brentford in the Premier League.The international break brought little relief. The Brazilian had to be substituted after picking up a knock in their 1-1 draw with Venezuela and, despite returning against Uruguay a few days later, he was unable to prevent a 2-0 defeat.
And a quick look at the numbers tell you that Casemiro’s downturn in form may be a serious concern for Ten Hag.Sky Sports have produced a comparison between the former Real Madrid midfielder last season to this campaign, focusing on five key areas.On average last season, Casemiro recorded 3.8 tackles every 90 minutes, compared to 2.7 this term.
While he registered 1.4 interceptions, exactly double that of this season. He won 7.5 duels, compared to 5.8 and 8.7 ball recoveries compared to a meagre 6.Finally, he was dribbled past an average of 1.9 times compared to 2.1 this campaign.The report adds that “among all Premier League players since the start of last season, only Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Brentford’s Mathias Jensen have been dribbled past more times than Casemiro on 64”.But while the numbers don’t flatter, Casemiro hasn’t been helped by those around him. United have conceded three or more times on four separate occasions this season, suggesting it is an entire squad issue.
The squad and the staffs are happy with Kobbie Mainoo massive improvement knowing that he can fill in the space when needed with the likes of Dan Gore and Hannibal Mejbri who are doing great work since the start of the pre-season.
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