Manchester United need two players to raise their standards again after midfield issues

Casemiro's difficult week

No United fan is going to volunteer to swap Casemiro for Declan Rice after this season but this week has been a difficult one for the Brazilian who has done almost nothing wrong since joining from Real Madrid in August.

There have been signs of his performance level just starting to tail off recently and he was second-best against Brighton on Thursday and West Ham - and Rice - on Sunday. Moises Caicedo contributed to the Brighton effort from right-back. They are both excellent midfielders and have previously been United targets, which might sting for the player who has finally knitted the midfield together.

The £70million signing has been a revelation this season, but this was one of his poorest games for the club. The quality of his passing has dropped a little in recent weeks and he struggled to contain West Ham's midfield in the same way he failed to help halt Brighton's dominance in the second half on Thursday.

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You can guarantee a return to form for Casemiro at some point, but this was another stand-out performance from the excellent Rice. He often raises his game against United, although given how good he is most weeks these days that might be an unfair assessment.

His time at West Ham must surely be coming to an end and his quality deserves a greater stage than this. The ship to Old Trafford might have sailed, but Rice will almost certainly end up at one of their Premier League rivals.

Eriksen yet to find top gear

It's probably to be expected that Christian Eriksen is yet to get back to his very best after three months out this season. This was only his eighth appearance since his return, but the fact he's yet to complete 90 minutes in