Man Utd dealt fresh injury ‘blow’ during international break, Southgate advised to drop Reds player

The international break has already brought fresh talking points for Manchester United. Erik ten Hag will be waiting for his players to return to Old Trafford ahead of their next scheduled Premier League match against Sheffield United, where they will be hoping for a big three points to lift them from tenth in the table.

Man Utd dealt fresh injury ‘blow’

United’s injury concerns continue to grow after Casemiro seemingly picked up a problem during Brazil’s latest international clash. The midfielder started against Venezuela on Friday in the first of his country’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers but was taken off just before the 80th minute as part of a triple change from head coach Fernando Diniz.

There appeared to be no obvious problems at the time but the 49-year-old confirmed after the match, which ended 1-1, that Casemiro had requested to be subbed off.

“As there was a stop [in play], I decided to make the three substitutions,” Diniz told Globo Esporte. “We had a lot of control when they came on. Casemiro asked to come off due to a blow to his ankle.”

The extent of the problem has not been confirmed but Brazil are set to face Uruguay on Wednesday so it’s likely an update will be provided then.

Pundit believes Southgate should drop Maguire

Harry Maguire has once again linked up with England for the latest international camp, despite his troubles at club level. Former United star Lee Sharpe has aired his concerns over the defender’s regular call-ups and believes Gareth Southgate ‘needs to be very careful’ with his decisions.

“Potentially [England should drop Maguire],” the ex-winger told Express Sport. “Because it sets a precedent for other players who may not be playing and knocking on his door, causing a bit of trouble for wanting to play.

“We’ve got strong players in every position now in the England squad, it’s really difficult for people to keep their place in Gareth Southgate’s squad when they’re not playing and there’s a lot of other talented players out there who are playing regularly and really well.

“So on both sides, Gareth Southgate is going to struggle to keep picking him when we have so much talent down there. On the other hand, you have an experienced centre-back in Harry Maguire, who has never let England down.”

Maguire has made just four appearances for United this season across all competitions, starting only once. He has 116 minutes under his belt in the Premier League and is yet to even feature in Europe.