The death of Queen Elizabeth II stopped the nation on Thursday. Manchester United were due to announce Erik ten Hag's starting line up at 6:45pm on Thursday night, but the announcement was delayed in a show of respect to Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The United team news eventually arrived at 7:15pm and Ten Hag named a stronger side than expected. There were six changes from Sunday's win against Arsenal with Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Fred, Casemiro, Antony Elanga and Cristiano Ronaldo all starting. David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Antony kept their places in the team.
Real Sociedad sold key players Alexander Isak and Willian Jose to Newcastle and Real Betis respectively this summer and they are currently ninth in the La Liga table, which suggested United had enough talent on the pitch to control the game.
Read more: United hold minute's silence in remembrance of the Queen
United's starting XI was worth £398m and Casemiro represented £60m of that mouthwatering figure. The defensive midfielder swapped the Bernabeu for Old Trafford this summer and it felt bizarre that this was his first chance to start a match.
Casemiro, 30, won five Champions League titles and countless domestic honours during his time with Real Madrid, where he established himself as the world's finest defensive midfielder with commanding performances on the biggest stage.
He is also a fully fledged Brazil international and it was a genuine coup to sign him this summer. Ten Hag was persistent in his pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, but United desperately needed a player like Casemiro and he should have been the priority instead.
Casemiro was unveiled at Old Trafford before United's defeat of Liverpool and he was available to play against Southampton five days later. It seemed illogical not to start a player of such calibre but that's exactly what Ten Hag did at St. Mary's Stadium.
That decision seemed even more illogical when it became clear that Scott McTominay was starting over Casemiro. Casemiro produced an accomplished cameo from the bench, but that was a minor talking point when United won the game 1-0 thanks to Bruno Fernandes.
Although Casemiro somehow didn't start against Southampton, he simply had to start against Leicester and yet he didn't. Ten Hag selected McTominay again, but the player vindicated the call on this occasion, delivering a quietly brilliant performance.
McTominay complemented Fernandes and Christian Eriksen and he brought balance to the midfield. His performance was characteristically tenacious and he was disciplined sitting in front of the back four.
Regardless of McTominay's performance, it was yet another surprise when he started against Arsenal on Sunday and Casemiro remained on the bench. It had been thought that Ten Hag might have been saving Casemiro for the biggest challenge of the season to date, but that was not the case and the Dutchman explained that he wanted to persist with his trust in McTominay.
United beat Arsenal 3-1 and McTominay was outstanding. He was instrumental in that match, covering every blade of grass, and his aggression was key in thwarting Arsenal's momentum when they were enjoying the bulk of possession and probing.
Ten Hag had started McTominay in four games and 12 points had been won from those matches. United won four consecutive matches for the first time since 2021 with that win against Arsenal and McTominay had played his part in that success.
Casemiro finally started against Real Sociedad on Thursday night - his full debut for the club - and it was an opportunity for supporters to enjoy the Rolls Royce of a player they had signed. Casemiro was poor and looked like a Ford Focus instead.
He lacked physicality, his passing was regularly wayward and he looked well off the pace against a team he should know all about. The footage of the moment that Aihen Munoz brilliantly nutmegged Casemiro has also gone viral to rub salt in the wounds.
It was an underwhelming performance from Casemiro and McTominay will not struggle to keep his place in the starting line up if he sustains displays like that. United fans were desperate for Casemiro to start but maybe Ten Hag was right to ease him in.
Casemiro just relocated from the Lowry Hotel this week and he speaks broken English. Casemiro's new surroundings might mean patience is needed to see him at his best, as he adapts to Manchester and the demands of the Premier League - that is normal.
Of course, his performance against Real Sociedad would have just been a rare blemish, but it showed that Ten Hag was right to start McTominay when few agreed. The signing of Casemiro has clearly inspired improvement from McTominay in recent weeks.
Casemiro is world-class and he is bound to be the long-term answer, but he needs to earn his place like everyone else.
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