Talking Tactics: How Ten Hag will cope without Casemiro in midfield

Manchester United will be without influential midfielder Casemiro for the next three games following his straight red card against Crystal Palace.

The Brazilian has transformed the Red Devils' midfield since arriving from Real Madrid for £70million last summer but a moment of madness against the Eagles meant he saw red for the first time in his career.

It is another blow to boss Erik ten Hag, who is also missing Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek from his engine room due to injury.

Ahead of managerless Leeds' visit to Old Trafford, we look at how the Dutch manager can cope without the 30-year-old.

A big loss

First of all, it is important to point out how significant an absence Casemiro is to United.

The five-time Champions League winner has proved an inspired signing, solving their long-standing defensive midfield conundrum.

The last time he did not start a game in all competitions was also the only time they have lost in 13 outings since the World Cup — a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal last month.

Before that, his last absence from the United XI resulted in a 6-3 drubbing at the hands of rivals Manchester City in October, with Aston Villa the only team to beat the Red Devils with their No8 in the side since then.

Start Sabitzer

The most obvious replacement for the Brazilian is a man who was signed in January for exactly this sort of instance — albeit to replace the injured Eriksen rather than Casemiro.

Marcel Sabitzer was a deadline-day arrival on loan from Bayern Munich and looks the logical choice to start alongside the more defensive-minded Fred, allowing Bruno Fernandes to stay advanced.

The Austrian made his debut in the 2-1 win over the Eagles, coming on for Antony in the 81st minute, and was an energetic presence.

On his short cameo, Ten Hag told MUTV: "[Sabitzer] understands football.

"You see that straight from the start and in training as well. He did quite well, he's really composed on the ball and he knows how to defend.

"We need such players who understand the game and who also bring the right spirit."

While certainly a positive addition, match sharpness is bound to be an issue for the 28-year-old having played just a minute of league action for Bayern since a World Cup Austria did not qualify for.

Move Martinez

Should Ten Hag decide it is too soon to rely on Sabitzer from the start, he could call upon one of his most trusted lieutenants to fill in.

Lisandro Martinez has been a regular at the heart of defence since following the Dutch boss to the Theatre of Dreams from Ajax last summer.

And the 53-year-old would seemingly have no qualms about deploying the Argentine in a more advanced position if he needs to.

Ten Hag has said: "He did it before. This is also one thing that me as a manager, you have to be creative in certain situations."

Martinez did indeed play the majority of the 2019-20 season in defensive midfield for Ajax, featuring there in 22 of his 41 games in all competitions.

His distribution from defence is one of his standout attributes so certainly has the skill set to impress there. 

That said, playing in midfield in the Premier League is an entirely different prospect to doing so in the Eredivisie and the clash against rivals Leeds is not the ideal environment to experiment in such a way.

Give youngsters a chance

With a packed fixture list to come, it could be time to blood some of United’s promising youngsters into the side.

Ten Hag has generally stuck with his more experienced options this term but with the team fighting in both cups and the Europa League, his fringe stars will surely have a role to play.

Kobbie Mainoo, their 17-year-old Stockport-born starlet, is one of United’s brightest prospects from the academy and has made the bench in four of United’s last six games after impressing Ten Hag in training.

He was introduced during United’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading and started against Charlton in the Carabao Cup.

The youngster was an attacking midfielder in that 3-0 win but has featured in a deeper position for the Red Devils’ Under-21s this term.

Zidane Iqbal, 19, is highly rated after making his senior debut last term and a slot on the bench could now open up for more involvement in the coming weeks.