Some Man Utd fans have offered a creative solution to replace Casemiro in midfield.
Lisandro Martinez has been suggested as the man to replace Casemiro for Man Utd. (Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Man Utd drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, but what many saw as a bigger blow is that Casemiro is now suspended for the team’s trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
Casemiro did not start in United’s 3-1 victory over their north London rivals earlier in the season, but the Brazilian has become so crucial to the way the team plays that losing him is a disaster. So talk has quickly turned to who will replace him.
Scott McTominay started for United at Old Trafford in the win, but many fans believe he doesn’t have the technical ability to compete with Arsenal’s midfield. Others are slightly warmer on the idea of Fred replacing Casemiro but they still don’t see it as ideal.
However, some have suggested that Erik ten Hag’s only solution is to play Lisandro Martinez as a defensive midfielder at the Emirates.
The Argentinian has played the position before – first playing in midfield in 2019 under Ten Hag, but he has not played there since a three-game spell in 2020. So what does the midfielder think of playing centrally?
Martinez told Ole in 2021: “I’m not closed to anything. “The day I get to play central midfielder, I’ll do it again.
“If that helps the team, I’m going to do it. The same as from the side (full-back). I consider myself a versatile player who is always predisposed to give the best beyond the position.”
However, his manager has a different idea. He told ESPN the same year while managing Ajax: “Daley Blind does not have the running capacity to play in midfield. And neither does Martinez.”
In recent weeks, Ten Hag has shown that he is willing to play players out of position, deploying Luke Shaw as a centre-back and Bruno Fernandes out on the right wing, but it seems unlikely given the options available to him that the Dutchman will move Martinez further up the field.
source: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/
