The October international break saw Casemiro regain the captain’s armband for Brazil, while also playing 90 minutes in both of Brazil’s friendlies against South Korea and Japan.
At the age of 33, he can no longer play week in and week out, and it was not a surprise to see the former Real Madrid superstar sit out of training at Carrington on Thursday.
Given his additional workload, there is every possibility the five-time Champions League winner starts on the bench against Liverpool on Sunday.
That was what had happened in the Manchester derby, right after the September international break. It was Manuel Ugarte who had started against City as the Red Devils lost 0-3.
Manuel Ugarte in training, no Casemiro
And on Thursday, as per The Sun, the Uruguayan was spotted training with the rest of the first team and he is under consideration to be recalled for the all-important clash at Anfield.
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was not part of Marcelo Bielsa’s experimental Uruguay team for their friendlies against Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan in Malaysia.
“Manuel Ugarte is under consideration for a Manchester United recall against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Ugarte, 24, was involved in United’s first-team training session at Carrington on Thursday but fellow midfielder Casemiro was not.
“The 34-year-old travelled to South Korea and Japan on international duty with Brazil and was afforded an extra recovery day after his excursions.
“Ugarte was not included in Marcelo Bielsa’s experimental Uruguay squad for their friendlies against the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan in Malaysia.”
That means he will be fresh and full of energy. But his record when starting for the 20-time English league champions this season has not been great.
Ugarte could start vs Liverpool
In fact, Manuel Ugarte has started three games all season — two in the Premier League against Manchester City and Brentford and one in the Carabao Cup.
United have ended up losing all three, while conceding eight goals in those games, including two to League Two side Grimsby Town.
It would be a huge blow if Casemiro misses out, but the truth is he might not have the legs to operate at Anfield after his taxing international exploits.
This might be the former Sporting star’s chance to shine, but based on his displays since his move to Manchester, fans will not be hoping for too much. Hopefully, he can prove them wrong on Sunday if selected in the starting XI.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
