Both Brazil and Manchester United are sweating over the fitness of Casemiro after the veteran midfielder missed training after picking up an ankle injury.
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The 31-year-old was forced off with 11 minutes remaining in Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela last Thursday, having been unable to complete the match.
Speaking after the draw, Brazil head coach Fernando Diniz said: ‘Casemiro asked to come off due to a blow to his ankle.’
Although his substitution appeared to be more precautionary, Globo Esporte are reporting that the former Real Madrid star missed Saturday’s training session and remains in serious discomfort.
Casemiro had played through the pain for much of the second half before finally asking to come off late on.
He has suffered a right ankle sprain and his foot has become swollen, with the midfielder undergoing physiotherapy at the team hotel rather than taking part in training.
He will be assessed again later on Sunday and Monday to see if he is able to do any ball work, but he is currently considered a major doubt to face Uruguay on Tuesday.
Diniz is already weighing up alternatives he can start instead of Casemiro, with Fluminense’s Andre the most likely candidate while Flamengo’s Gerson is another option.
If Casemiro misses the clash with Uruguay, he will also likely be a doubt for Manchester United’s first match back after the international break.
The Red Devils, who are already dealing with a significant injury crisis, are due to travel to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United in an evening kick-off next Saturday.
United’s football director John Murtough has actually confirmed that the club are investigating the causes of their lengthy injury list, saying: ‘There are some strong mitigations for the mixed results so far, including 16 first-team players being injured or unavailable for periods since the start of the season.
‘That’s two-thirds of the squad and means that Erik has not been able to pick his strongest XI once this season. Thankfully, we’ve started to see some of the injured players returning and that should make a difference, including our new signings Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount who are still bedding into the team.
‘We’re also looking at why we’ve had so many injuries to see if there’s any patterns to improve prevention in future.
‘Some of them have been impact injuries such as Kobbie’s and Amad’s, which are unpredictable. Others have been muscular and could reflect the sheer volume of games played over the past year, including last year’s World Cup.’
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