Casemiro will not square up against Thomas Partey in Sunday's heavyweight clash between Arsenal and Manchester United due to suspension.
It means Rio Ferdinand's previous comments that the Brazilian would "wipe the floor" with the Gunners midfielder will not be tested at the Emirates. Casemiro, a summer recruit from Real Madrid, is having a huge influence on the Red Devils as they continue to rise up the table.
A run of five wins on the bounce was halted on Wednesday night as Crystal Palace secured a late draw. It was a double blow at Selhurst Park as Casemiro was given a yellow card, which will rule him out of the trip to north London this weekend.
Arsenal have only tasted defeat once this term - back in September at Old Trafford. They've since established a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League, but face a real test against the Manchester outfit. Partey has been crucial for the Gunners so far - but Ferdinand doesn't see him as Casemiro's equal.
He previously said on his Vibe with Five podcast : "He [Partey] is actually playing some passes I didn’t know he had. At Atletico Madrid did you see those passes? In the Champions League?
"In terms of who's more important to their team, you can argue for both sides. But when you throw the stats in, Casemiro wipes the floor with him. I don’t think Partey is good enough defensively to do what Casemiro is doing. I don’t think he has the impact to do defensively what Casemiro is doing for Man United."
Ferdinand also added on his influence: “My analysis before the season was we needed that 6 position and he is fulfilling that position. In pre-season, we had a lot of discussions but you need the right player and we definitely have the right player. I am really happy for Manchester United, for this team to have him because he is really raising the limits for Manchester United."
Erik ten Hag has played down the absence of Casemiro, which is likely to see either Fred or Scott McTominay come into the fold. United's 3-1 win over Arsenal came minus the Brazilian - something Ten Hag has been keen to remind people of. “Last time we beat Arsenal without Casemiro, so we have an idea of how to do it," he said.
United have only won one of their three games without their Brazilian midfielder this term, whilst they've a 69 per cent winning rate in the 16 games he's participated in. Gary Neville has told Sky Sports : "Casemiro getting booked ahead of Sunday against Crystal Palace is a massive blow because he's been pivotal to them. Erik ten Hag was shaking his head when the yellow card came out and so was I at home."
