Manchester United's injury problems continue to mount as more players joined their lengthy injury list during a disappointing 3-0 friendly defeat to Liverpool.
Fabio Carvalho's deflected strike gave the Reds the lead after 10 minutes as he made Casemiro look foolish before finishing past Andre Onana.
Curtis Jones then doubled Liverpool's lead before halftime, with Erik ten Hag's side failing to pull themselves back in what was pretty much a one-sided affair.
Just after the hour, Liverpool full-back Kostas Tsimikas tapped home from close range to make it 3-0 as the Reds breezed to a convincing victory over their arch rivals.
Although he was not the only underperformer, Casemiro endured a torrid outing in the pre-season loss, with many questioning whether he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. The Brazilian was left in the dust by Carvalho, who skipped past him with ease before finding the back of the net.
Pretty shambolic from Casemiro, who buys the dummy from Carvalho and his shot is deflected in. 1-0 to Liverpool. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) August 3, 2024
In the aftermath, the 32-year-old Brazilian veteran has been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from Man United fans and pundits alike.
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Erik ten Hag provides Man United injury updates
The injury crisis that plagued Manchester United last term is threatening to carry over into the 2024/25 campaign.
As the Red Devils prepare for the upcoming Premier League season, they have only played four friendly matches this summer, yet the treatment room is already filling up at a concerning rate.
Following a recent pre-season friendly against Arsenal, both Rasmus Højlund and new signing Leny Yoro suffered injuries, with Yoro expected to be sidelined for up to three months due to a foot injury, while Højlund will be out for six weeks with a hamstring issue.
After the Liverpool game, Erik ten Hag confirmed that young centre-back Will Fish suffered an impact injury after he was taken off on a stretcher within half an hour of coming on. He also gave updates on Victor Lindelof and Johnny Evans.
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The Dutch head coach said: "Always, we have to see what has gone on. The assessment, of course, with Will Fish is it’s an impact injury.
"We also had to sub Jonny Evans at half-time because he was ill. Victor Lindelof [was] a precaution. So, yeah, there are some injuries, but we have to see how bad it will be."
Aaron Wan-Bissaka also picked up a knock that forced him to be substituted in the second period. The United hierarchy will hope his issue is not a serious one as he is in line for a potential move to West Ham.
Ten Hag also confirmed that Harry Maguire missed the Liverpool defeat as a precautionary measure but he should be fine to start the Community Shield against Manchester City next Saturday.
