Graeme Souness warns Manchester United star Casemiro about 'astonishing' disciplinary issue

Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness believes that referees will be keeping a close eye on Casemiro's conduct when he returns from his Manchester United suspension.

The Brazilian midfielder was sent off last weekend in the draw with Southampton following a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz. Initially Anthony Taylor showed Casemiro a yellow card for the foul but, following a VAR review, that was upgraded to a red.

Casemiro's dismissal was his second of the season having also received his marching orders in February following an altercation with Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes. The former Real Madrid man will now miss the game on Sunday as United welcome Fulham to Old Trafford in the FA Cup, but Souness has warned him he will need to watch his step once he returns.

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In his Daily Mail column, Souness wrote: "Casemiro at Manchester United is not a dirty player, but he does have a record. Consider this: in his last three-and-a-half seasons for Manchester United and Real Madrid, he has been booked 53 times. That is astonishing.

"He has also been sent off three times, his latest red coming against Southampton last weekend. As I say, I don't think he is a malicious player but over the course of his 10-year career he has averaged about 15 yellows a season and you don't rack up numbers like those by accident.

"The upshot of his second red card for United in a short space of time is that when he returns from his four-game ban he will find referees looking out for him — and not in a good way. In football, a reputation as being someone who likes to play on the edge of the law can be hard to shake."

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