Manchester United duo have already made case to be Casemiro alternative

When Casemiro arrived at Manchester United, there was an acceptance he would be a key starter in the team.

His pedigree at Real Madrid and Brazil before moving to the Premier League set him up to be the defensive midfielder United had been craving fore some time. In his debut campaign for the Reds, he proved to be worth every penny of the £70m fee Erik ten Hag spent to bring him to Old Trafford.

With him in the side, United were strong and looked to benefit from an experienced head in the heart of their midfield. Without him, the Reds looked lost and results were difficult to come by.

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This season, though, has been a rude awakening for Casemiro. His performances have not reached the same towering heights of last year and injuries have severely hampered his minutes.

For both of these reasons, Ten Hag is having to evaluate alternative options and fortunately, a duo who played together last season have underlined themselves as a solution. Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay started together at Craven Cottage on Saturday as United beat Fulham but this is a partnership which was built last season.

In the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign, while Casemiro was still acclimatising to life in Manchester, Eriksen and McTominay started together in midfield to much success. They both started in four victories before eventually the Brazilian international replaced the Scot.

Discussing their partnership in September last year, Eriksen highlighted how the pair can help United this season too. He explained: "Scott has done very well and I think you can see that from the games.

"I think in the first few ones