Why is Casemiro not playing for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in UCL?

As if things weren’t difficult enough as they are, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has a number of injury headaches - just as a key, potentially season-defining week begins with Bayern Munich’s visit to Old Trafford, bringing the Champions League group stage to a close.

Among those who won’t be taking to the pitch tonight is Casemiro, who has been sidelined since the start of November. The Brazilian midfielder is recovering from a hamstring tear and has been training apart from the group. He has appeared just twice in the Champions League this season - the matchday 1 game against Bayern (in which he scored twice) and the following game against Galatasaray.

International duty

Casemiro’s last appearance was in the 0-3 EFL Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle on 1 November. His last Premier League outing was against Brentford in Week 8 after which he captained Brazil in both of the 2026 World Cup qualifying games against Venezuela and Uruguay despite carrying a knock - he had been a regular starter for Ten Hag up until then.

United’s casualty room

Apart from Casemiro, the United manager has other absentees for the Bayern game. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are reported to have been hit by illness and missed Monday’s training session. Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount remain sidelined while Lisandro Martínez is nearing the final phase of his rehabilitation but is still training apart. There was one positive note for Ten Hag - Victor Lindelöf is back to full training. He missed the last game after picking up a knock in the mid-week win over Chelsea.