 |
| Casemiro defensive midfield of Manchester United and Brazil during the warm-up before leg match between Sevilla FC and Manchester United at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on April 20, 2023 in Seville, Spain. |
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has returned to training ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has not played a competitive game since being forced off in an EFL Cup loss against Newcastle United on November 1.
The Brazilian was making his return from an ankle injury he picked up in October's international break, but he was subsequently withdrawn at half time of the cup defeat due to a hamstring issue.
As a result, the former Real Madrid man has missed Man United's last eight matches, including Saturday's disappointing 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
Man United boss Erik ten Hag previously stated that he did not expect the Brazil international to return until the new year.
However, Casemiro appears to be progressing well in his recovery after being pictured in training by the club's social media channels.
Man United confirmed that Casemiro has stepped up his rehabilitation process by training on the grass at the Carrington training complex.
The Brazil international worked on an individual programme, as the rest of his teammates took part in a recovery session following Saturday's loss to the Cherries.
While Casemiro's return to the training pitch will come as a boost, it appears unlikely that he will prove his fitness in time for Tuesday's crucial Champions League clash.
Having picked up just four points from their five European games, the Red Devils are currently sitting bottom of the group ahead of the final round of fixtures.
With one point separating them from Galatasaray and Copenhagen, Ten Hag's side need to claim all three points and hope the group's other match ends in a draw if they are to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
Ten Hag will be unable to call upon Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Amad Diallo, while there are doubts surrounding the availability of Victor Lindelof and Mason Mount.
Although Man United are contending with their injury concerns, Bayern will be without Serge Gnabry, who was forced off in Saturday's 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.