Although moves to Saudi Arabia and Turkey were reportedly explored, there were no takers, and while there was some optimism regarding Casemiro’s improved fitness that summer, it all went out of the window weeks into the campaign when he made two mistakes in the dreadful 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool and was taken off at half-time for the inexperienced Toby Collyer. Casemiro didn’t start another league game under Ten Hag for six weeks. 

Interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy did use the veteran heavily in his four games in charge after Ten Hag was sacked, and Amorim started Casemiro in the first two league games of his tenure. But the new boss apparently didn’t like what he saw as Casemiro was then an unused substitute in 12 out of the next 15 matches.

The three games he did play during that period included him being brought on for just one minute against Leicester City in the FA Cup and an abysmal team performance in the 2-0 defeat by Newcastle, when he and Christian Eriksen were overwhelmed in midfield. Casemiro only returned to the team against Tottenham after an injury crisis afflicted Kobbie Mainoo and Collyer, and asked in January why Casemiro was barely featuring for him at the time, Amorim gave a less-than-complimentary assessment of the Brazilian.

“We understand that Casemiro has other things nowadays,” he told TNT Sports Mexico. “The intelligence he has, understanding the game, understanding where the ball is going to fall but we’re in a league that I can see, even in European competitions, the difference in intensity is big. And so, I feel that this team also needs players with a very high intensity. I needed some players in certain positions with a slightly different pace.”

Amorim would later criticise Antony in a similar manneer when he began to shine on loan at Real Betis.