In the FA Cup final, Manchester United takes on Manchester City, but Casemiro is not in the Red Devils lineup.
Manchester United left Casemiro out of their squad for the FA Cup final (Image: GETTY)
With Casemiro already named on the bench when they released their official team sheet, Manchester United was left humiliated ahead of their FA Cup matchup with Manchester City when they were forced to remove him from their matchday squad. Raphael Varane was brought in to partner Lisandro Martinez at center back, replacing Casemiro in Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup for the match.
An hour prior to kickoff, United revealed their lineup for the FA Cup final, including Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof, two central defenders.
Ten Hag informed the BBC that “Cas is not 100%” and that Willy Kambwala would eventually replace Casemiro on the bench. We also need a strong defense around Phil Foden in that area.
Casemiro had a terrible end to the season and hasn’t looked good in his new role as a backup center back in the past month. He was humiliated during United’s 4-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace earlier in the month, and he was powerless to stop his team from giving up 10 goals in their last six Premier League games.
The player, who joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022, had a fantastic rookie season. However, it now appears likely that he will leave Old Trafford this summer, two years before his contract runs out.
Harry Maguire, Lindelof, and Martinez were among the players out of the team at the time of Casemiro’s switch to center back at Old Trafford due to injuries. Ten Hag, who is expected to lose his job following the FA Cup final regardless of the outcome, also mentioned Casemiro in his defense of United’s lackluster campaign.
The Dutchman clarified, “Manchester United is an easy prey for the pundits in England who want to score and prove they are worth the money.”
It’s the largest club in England, if not the entire globe. There is no middle ground—you either love or hate the club. As a result, when things go wrong, they all start talking a lot and using big words.
“There has been an insane amount of injuries. I had to start my fifteenth different center-back combination of the season not too long ago. This season, I’ve used 33 different defensive lineups.
Four times, Sofyan Amrabat was forced to play left back. On the field, injuries have occurred everywhere. Casemiro hasn’t played in a while. The striker we purchased, Rasmus Hojlund, sustained three injuries—I could go on forever. This is our season’s central narrative.
