CHRIS WHEELER: Losing ever-reliable Casemiro is Erik ten Hag's nightmare

Casemiro buried his face in his shirt and began to weep silently. Watching forlornly from the touchline, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag must have felt like doing the same.

His best midfielder was making the lonely walk towards the tunnel at Old Trafford for the second time in five weeks after picking up another red card for his challenge on Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz.

The Brazilian is now facing the third ban of his first season at United, a four-match punishment taking the number of games he will have missed through suspension to eight.

Casemiro’s latest absence will keep him out of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham and the Premier League games against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton. For Ten Hag and his teammates, it cannot end soon enough.

Cast your mind back to Selhurst Park on January 18 with United a goal up and sitting pretty against Crystal Palace. Bruno Fernandes’ lapse drew Casemiro into a tactical foul on Wilfried Zaha and referee Robert Jones reached for the yellow card.

It meant that Casemiro was suspended for the next game at Arsenal and United knew it. The spirit drained from them as Michael Olise scored a late equaliser and they lost 3-2 at the Emirates four days later.

Casemiro’s three-match ban for grabbing Will Hughes by the throat when United met Palace again at Old Trafford in February wasn’t quite so costly. With the help of new loan signing Marcel Sabitzer, United navigated a win and a daw in back-to-back games against Leeds, and a victory over Leicester.

Make no mistake, though, another four matches without Casemiro is a hammer blow for Ten Hag. The Dutchman has come to rely on a number of players since taking over last year: Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes and, of course, Marcus Rashford. None have become quite so important as the talismanic Casemiro.

His ability to read the game, snuff out danger, launch attacks from deep midfield, and even get forward to score important goals has made the former Real Madrid man first among equals in the players on Ten Hag’s go-to list.

His loss is all the more damaging with Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek on the long-term casualty list, and Sabitzer sidelined for the last two games. It’s hoped that the Austrian’s injury isn’t too serious, but Fred and Scott McTominay are currently the only two fit defensive midfielders.

It may be that Ten Hag has to revert to the McFred partnership so trusted by his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and used by many as a symbol of United’s mediocrity during the Norwegian’s spell in charge.

The first dilemma for Ten Hag is to decide whether to play Casemiro in Thursday’s Europa League last 16 tie against Real Betis in Spain before his domestic ban kicks in.

It would usually be a no-brainer, but the 31-year-old is also one booking away from a European ban, so it might not be worth the risk with United 4-1 ahead from the first leg and the disciplinary slate set to wiped clean after this round.

The real problem for Ten Hag lies closer to home. United can’t take anything for granted against Fulham in the cup this weekend ahead of the international break.

The first game back brings a huge test away to Newcastle. If Eddie Howe’s side win their game in hand at Nottingham Forest on Friday, they know that victory over United at St James’ Park on April 2 would lift them above their opponents into third place.

Dropping five points in the last two games against Southampton and Liverpool has seen United fall out of the title race and back into a battle for the top-four. It seems foolish now to think that Ten Hag’s side were ever considered serious contenders for the Premier League, but qualifying for the Champions League was a clear target for his first season in charge and that cannot be allowed to slip away.

United have cleared their heads after the 7-0 humiliation at Anfield with the comfortable win over Betis and a draw with Southampton when they played for an hour with 10 men on Sunday, but their goal difference has taken a battering and that could yet become an issue.

Tottenham are above Newcastle and breathing down United’s neck as well, while Liverpool cannot be discounted despite their deflating defeat to Bournemouth.

In the other two games he faces without Casemiro – both at Old Trafford – Ten Hag won’t underestimate Everton and certainly not a Brentford side that pulled United’s pants down when they won 4-0 in the manager’s second game.

It’s a scenario that would have dawned on Ten Hag almost the moment Casemiro’s feet left the floor and he made contact with Alcaraz’s right shin on Sunday. United will back themselves to cope without him, but they’re doing it the hard way.