How Casemiro has gone from winning his fifth Champions League to struggling to get picked against Barnsley in just two years, writes CHRIS WHEELER

Normally, Casemiro would see a Carabao Cup third round clash with Barnsley as an opportunity to take a break and conserve energy ahead of a busy season.

For the Brazilian star, it is a sign of the times that he sees Tuesday night’s match at Old Trafford as an opportunity to return to the starting line-up and confuse the critics who are already writing him off.

Casemiro was on the bench at Southampton on Saturday after his disastrous performance against Liverpool, alongside new £50m signing Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer, two defensive midfielders who were supposed to replace him.

He was brought in as an emergency centre-back at St Mary’s in time and had a hand in the final goal of United’s 3-0 win, but there is no guarantee that he will be back in action against Crystal Palace on Saturday night.

Before then, it will be interesting to see which team Erik ten Hag chooses against Barnsley. After all, it is not the kind of stage on which you would normally expect a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid.

“It’s quite a headache,” Ten Hag said Monday. “Last year I had a headache too, but there were no players available. We definitely have to rotate, because we have to cover so many games.”

Due to Casemiro’s continued absence from the Brazil squad, he was able to speak to the United manager about his situation during the international break after a short family holiday.

Ten Hag insists he still ‘needs’ the 32-year-old, but sceptics would say he doesn’t need him as much as he used to. No longer the ‘cement between the bricks’, as he liked to say.

United attracted interest from Saudi Arabia after co-owners Ineos deemed his £375,000-a-week salary excessive, and Galatasaray were hovering in Turkey ahead of last week’s transfer deadline. Not that Casemiro gave it a second thought.

But it reflected his changed circumstances after a difficult second season at United, during which he suffered a serious hamstring injury and admitted to sleepless nights over the club’s failings; a season that ended in personal disappointment and intrigue at the FA Cup final in May.

Casemiro left the United festivities at the Marriott Mayfair to board a flight to Sao Paulo with his wife Anna, daughter Sara and son Caio. They posed for a family photo before departure.

The luxurious interior of the private jet and the smiles on the faces of Casemiro and his young family could hardly have painted a more positive picture of his life as a United player. The reality was rather different.

He was on the bench for the match against Manchester City, but withdrew before kick-off due to a sore hamstring, although there was speculation about his fitness in Brazil in the days that followed.

Casemiro would have been disappointed to miss the cup final, but he is proud of his role in United’s journey to Wembley, including scoring the 89th-minute winning goal at Nottingham Forest that sent Ten Hag’s side through to the quarter-finals.

It coincided with his first elimination from the Brazil squad in seven years and missing this summer’s Copa America, as well as the final World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay. It is 11 months since he won the last of his 75 caps.

Casemiro refuses to give up his international career, but took advantage of the situation to have six weeks off this summer — at least 10 days more than he’s been used to in a decade. After spending time at home in Sao Paulo, the family went on vacation to America.

His fitness has been questioned in the past, particularly in pre-season, but it was noticeable how thin he looked when he returned to Carrington this summer. He had been working on his fitness in a home gym and injury prevention with his personal physiotherapist, a regime he has followed since his first year at Real Madrid.

But there was another major setback, just three games into the Premier League season, when his mistakes against Liverpool led to two goals for Luis Diaz and Ten Hag decided to hook him at half-time.

Despite the candid conversations during the international break, it cost Casemiro his starting spot against Southampton and he is hoping for a second chance against Palace on Saturday.

To gauge the change in Casemiro’s status at United, we need look no further than his previous two trips to Selhurst Park. On his first visit in January 2023, a late booking meant he was suspended for the following game against Arsenal. You could see the mood change at United. They conceded a late equaliser to deny Ten Hag his tenth straight win, and lost at the Emirates four days later.

That’s how important Casemiro was then. A talisman who inspired United to victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final the following month.

Returning to Selhurst in May, where he had been playing as an emergency centre-back in an injury-plagued team, he produced a performance that convinced Ten Hag to bench him for the cup final. United were beaten 4-0 by Palace, a team inspired by Michael Olise, with Casemiro being outplayed by Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Jamie Carragher, who was working as a commentator for Sky Sports that night, said: ‘When I retired I heard a saying I’ll never forget: leave the football before the football leaves you.’

Carragher repeated the maxim when Casemiro got into trouble against Liverpool earlier this month, prompting the player’s wife Anna to post a picture on Instagram of a glittering trophy cabinet in their home.

No one can question Casemiro’s performance in the game. It is what he still has to offer that is now up for discussion.