Ruben Amorim has revealed that he substituted Casemiro during Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United because he felt the midfielder would ‘struggle’ with the intensity of the second half.
Patrick Dorgu’s volley in the 24th minute sealed the win for United on Boxing Day which has put Amorim’s side fifth in the Premier League.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte were United’s midfield pairing in the absence of Bruno Fernandes, who missed the game due to a hamstring injury, however, Amorim replaced the Brazilian with Leny Yoro after just 61 minutes.
After seeing his number held up on the substitution board, Casemiro pointed at himself and looked less than impressed with Amorim’s decision to take him off so early in the game.
United survived a second-half onslaught from Newcastle following a solid defensive display plus another assured performance from goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
When asked to explain Casemiro’s substitution after United’s win at Old Trafford, Amorim replied: ‘In that moment I did not want to take [Matheus] Cunha because he’s the only guy who can allow us to breathe and I put him in a No.10.
‘Jack [Fletcher] was fresh to continue, Manu [Ugarte] was fresher than Casemiro, we took a chance because they were making a lot of corner runs and I feel he was going to struggle in that moment.’
Speaking about Casemiro’s substitution during his commentary for Sky Sports, former United defender Gary Neville said: ‘He [Casemiro] can’t believe it.
‘I’m surprised, I am really surprised. I thought [Joshua] Zirkzee would’ve come on for Ugarte and Jack Fletcher would have gone back one [into midfield].
‘That is a surprise, I’m shocked, maybe it’s a back five, I’m not sure what it is, maybe it’s a back six, it looks like it. I thought the shape of the team was actually okay.
‘Look, Newcastle were on top anyway, I don’t want to be a pessimist if you’re a Manchester United fan watching, but I’d be surprised if this goes well in the next half hour because they look all at sea now, I’m really not sure about those substitutions.’
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