You would have had to search for a while to find out who the last player was to have been sent off in back-to-back Premier League home games.
But after being dismissed in the first half of Manchester United's goalless draw with Southampton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, Casemiro has made that task a little easier. Making just his second league appearance since returning from a three-match suspension he was slapped with last month, the Brazilian now faces a four-match ban after picking up his second red card of the season.
Although he will be available for Thursday night's Europa League clash with Real Betis, he will miss Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham and the Reds' next three Premier League matches. It means he will not play again in a domestic fixture until United travel to Nottingham Forest on April 15.
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With Christian Eriksen already sidelined until late April at the earliest with an ankle problem, the last thing United could have wished for was to lose their talismanic Brazilian for the second time so soon. Though United collected seven points from a possible nine in the three games he missed during his last absence, his presence was missed, with them lacking control and cohesion in midfield.
But as this writer wrote only last week, it is Eriksen who United have missed the most in recent weeks. Even though results, with the exception of the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool just over a week ago, have been relatively positive in the Dane's absence, they have missed his ability to orchestrate games and dictate proceedings.
Though his absence has been felt by United, they at least had Casemiro available to keep one-half of the partnership alive. Now, with the exception of the trip to Betis and a potential Europa League quarter-final, they have lost that partnership completely for a shade over a month.
Without the duo, United's midfield options are significantly reduced, with only Marcel Sabitzer, Scott McTominay and Fred their remaining senior options. Kobbie Mainoo was once again included in the matchday squad against Southampton but he is yet to make his first league start, meaning it would be a big ask for the youngster to step into the fold and fill the void.
Sabitzer has missed the last two matches and Fred and McTominay, though the latter enjoyed a strong second half against the Saints, are not at the level of Casemiro and Eriksen. Their partnership, which could be rekindled during Casemiro's suspension, was heavily criticised last season and often described as the weakest part of the team.
Therefore, over the next few weeks, United's lack of sufficient options in midfield beyond Fred and McTominay are likely to be exposed, making it clear why Erik ten Hag was so intent on recruiting Frenkie de Jong last summer. After signing Eriksen, Ten Hag still persisted with his pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder, right up until it became clear that the Reds were getting nowhere with their ambitions of making the La Liga giants budge.
At the time, almost everyone associated with United knew the club needed a defensive midfielder, as opposed to a box-to-box operator. United, of course, were right to recruit Casemiro and he has since been a stalwart figure in improving the landscape of their midfield, but without him and Eriksen, the Reds do not have sufficient options to fall back on, leaving them vulnerable and short on numbers, especially with the number of games they could still have to play this season.
It is, therefore, little surprise that Ten Hag already has grand ambitions to recruit a new central midfielder in the summer. He wants to add younger legs to that area of the team and Casemiro's red card against Southampton now presents an opportunity to highlight just why even further.
United lack sufficient depth, certainly in terms of world-class quality, in central-midfield and now face relying on Sabitzer, who joined the club in January to provide cover in Eriksen's absence, McTominay and Fred. Though Sabitzer has missed the last two games, his injury is not thought to be too serious. However, if he does require more time to recover, or Fred or McTominay suddenly become unavailable, United will be down to the bare bones.
It is suddenly becoming clear why Ten Hag wanted an extra midfielder last summer, not only to give United enough quality but also to give them enough strength in depth. It is an area that must be strengthened come what may in the summer.
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