Erik ten Hag will be sweating over Casemiro’s ban in Man Utd’s fight to finish in the top four – and the stats show he should be worried.

United will be without Casemiro for the next three Premier League games

The Brazilian midfielder picked up a straight red card in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace after grabbing Will Hughes by the throat.

Despite footage appearing to show the pair hugging after the incident, the 30-year-old received his marching orders for violent conduct.

talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor insisted the ex-Real Madrid midfielder should have been arrested as he likened him to UFC and WWE legend Brock Lesnar.

Casemiro was sent off after grabbing Palace midfielder Hughes by the throat

The five-time Champions League winner will now be suspended for three top-flight matches, missing the double-header against Leeds – the first of which is live on talkSPORT – and the home clash against Leicester.

Thankfully for the Red Devils, he will be back for the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on February 26.

But by that time, United could be out of form as the statistics show they are a completely different team without Casemiro marshalling the midfield.

In stats obtained by Opta, from the 17 Premier League games Casemiro has featured in, United boast a 70.6 win per cent ratio.

Casemiro has starred on the pitch for United since joining from Madrid

Compare that to the four games Casemiro has missed this term, Ten Hag’s side have won just once [25 per cent], while losing on three occasions.

Casemiro missed the opening two defeats to Brighton and Brentford, while he was unavailable for the win over Liverpool as he had only just signed.

The first eligible game he missed came in the 3-2 loss at Arsenal last month after he was suspended – ironically after picking up a booking against Palace in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park.

It means that United pick up 2.3 points a game with Casemiro, while they muster just 0.8 points without him.

Ten Hag will be without Casemiro for the two games against Leeds and the home clash against Leicester

With Casemiro on the pitch, United also score more goals a game with 1.7 compared to 1.3.

And it should come as no surprise that the Carabao Cup finalists are worse defensively without Casemiro as they ship in 2.5 goals a game, as opposed to 0.9 a match with him in the line-up.

United also have more shots conceded per 90 minutes at 17.5 to 10.8 without him, while they have three per cent less possession if the 2019 Copa America champion doesn’t play.

It’s clear to see why fans are worried at the thought of playing without Casemiro, with the player establishing himself as one of the top defensive midfielders in the division.

And it’s not just a top four finish that supporters are dreaming about after title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City lost over the weekend.

United find themselves in third spot – three points above fifth-placed Tottenham – though they are now just three points behind rivals City in second.

The stats highlight Casemiro’s importance for United

And with Arsenal and City to play each other next week, United know they have to pick up maximum points in their next few games.

But without Casemiro patrolling the midfield, the stats highlight the trouble they may face in doing so.

source: talksport.com