Manchester United signed Casemiro from Real Madrid last summer.

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Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was shown a straight red card during his team’s Premier League victory over Crystal Palace last weekend after putting his hands around the neck of Will Hughes. And his three-game ban means he has already received a punishment he never had during nine seasons with Real Madrid.

Casemiro made 336 appearances for Real Madrid during a nine-year stint at the Bernabeu Stadium and helped the club win five Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups and three La Liga titles. But he moved to Old Trafford last summer after the Red Devils shelled out £70million to secure his signature.

Casemiro, who has won 69 caps for Brazil and was part of his country’s World Cup squad last year, has transformed the United midfield and has been a key reason for the side’s improved form this season. But he was slapped with his ban after his tussle with Hughes was deemed to be violent conduct. And he will be unavailable for selection until the first leg of United’s Europa League play-off clash with Barcelona after missing two showdowns with Leeds and an encounter with Leicester.

During his lengthy stint in Madrid, Casemiro was only sent off twice. And on both occasions he was given his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards, which meant he was only handed one-game bans.

Casemiro’s first sending-off for Real came following a second bookable offence during the team’s 4-1 La Liga thrashing of Real Valladolid in March 2019. The 30-year-old was then sent off in the late stages when Real defeated Barcelona 2-1 in La Liga in 2021 after picking up two yellow cards in the space of two minutes.

Casemiro’s absence was glaring on Wednesday night as United were held to a 2-2 Premier League draw by Leeds at Old Trafford, But following that encounter, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag refused to blame his star midfielder for the result.

“We have a great team and it doesn’t matter who is coming in, we have to win this game with 11 or with 15 players who are available and on the pitch,” the Dutchman said.

Despite a dismal start to the season, United have climbed to third place in the top-flight table after winning 13 of their 22 matches. And they will be looking to get the better of Leeds on Sunday when the two teams go head-to-head for the second time in five days.

source: express.co.uk