One Manchester United player is about to do something nobody expected

The night Manchester United made sure of their place in the Europa League knockout stages, Casemiro made his first appearance in exactly a month.

United booked their place in the last-16 with a 2-0 win over FCSB in Bucharest on January 30 and Casemiro stepped off the bench to replace Christian Eriksen with 18 minutes left on the clock.

United were already two goals up following strikes from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo, meaning it felt as though Casemiro's introduction was nothing more than an opportunity for him to stretch his legs, having not played since the end of December.

In between the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on December 30 and the 2-0 win over FCSB at the end of January, United had played six times in three different competitions. Casemiro was an unused substitute on every occasion.

It sparked theories that his United career could be over before the end of the January transfer window. He was linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia and an exit seemed possible, with his performance against Newcastle ranking as one of his worst in United colours.

An extensive injury crisis meant he was recalled to the starting line-up for the first time since the Newcastle defeat when United lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in February. Unsurprisingly, he was off the pace and struggled to deal with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison.

United were without Manuel Ugarte, Eriksen, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount against Spurs. Had they been available, Casemiro probably wouldn't have featured for the sixth league game running.

Bruno Fernandes operated next to Casemiro in north London and it wasn't long before the Portugal international went on a terrific run of form.

Operating from a deeper position, the United skipper was