An unusually unruly foul by Casemiro against Crystal Palace on Wednesday was aptly booked, bringing his total for the season to five.
This has ruled him out of the vital clash against Arsenal at Highbury on Sunday and leaves manager Erik ten Hag with a headache in terms of midfield team selection.
With Scott McTominay losing pace in his last few appearances coming off the bench, the boss could opt to put Lisandro Martinez in Casemiro’s place alongside Christian Eriksen.
Luke Shaw could return to teammate Raphael Varane at center back, with Tyrell Malacia once again at left-back.
Assuming Diogo Dalot is still out, Aaron Wan-Bissaka will almost certainly continue at right-back. The Englishman has been playing so well that even if Dalot were fit it is uncertain he would be brought in at this stage.
Further down the pitch, another decision to be made is whether Anthony Martial, if fit, should replace Wout Weghorst in midfield.
Weghorst made a competent debut against Palace, but from firing on all cylinders, Martial represents the more versatile option.
We believe that the Frenchman will be restored if he is fit, and the Dutchman will be relegated to the bench.
Antony’s position on the right wing must also be seriously in question after another lackluster performance at Selhurst Park.
Jadon Sancho is back in full training and could make a surprise appearance, but it is more likely to come from the bench.
Marcus Rashford could switch to the right with Alejandro coming in on the left, but we think Ten Hag is more likely to return Fred to the flank, with Bruno Fernandes taking over the role of right wing again.
This would be very similar to the winning line-up against Manchester City last weekend, but with the positions of Fred and Eriksen reversed, Fred playing further up the pitch and Eriksen as a deep playmaker.
David de Gea, as always, is expected to play in goal, although Jack Butland could be a first-time substitute, having been ineligible against parent club Palace earlier in the week.
With all that in mind, here’s our planned XI for the game:
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