While Manchester United will have been left frustrated after slipping up at home to Southampton on Sunday afternoon, the major concern for manager Erik ten Hag will be the dismissal of midfield maestro, Casemiro, with the Brazilian international now facing a four-game ban following what was his second red card of the campaign.

The influential summer signing - who arrived on a £70m deal from Real Madrid - had only recently returned from a previous suspension after seeing red in the win over Crystal Palace last month, although was again handed his marching orders yesterday after a crunching challenge on Saints starlet, Carlos Alcaraz.

Although the Red Devils may have a few grievances with the decision as the 31-year-old did make strong contact with the ball initially, there can be few complaints, in truth, due to the studs-up nature of the tackle, with the 69-cap brute now facing an extended stint on the sidelines.

That suspension will likely prove a huge blow as far as the Carabao Cup winners are concerned due to the impact that the one-time Porto ace has made at Old Trafford to date, having been described as the “cement” in the side by his manager.

The loss of that solid foundation could potentially derail the club’s top-four bid in the coming weeks, although the hope will be that Ten Hag can adequately plug the gap to avoid such a scenario, with academy graduate Scott McTominay having potentially outlined his suitability to fill that void after starring off the bench against the Saints.

Who can replace Casemiro?

The Scotland international has been restricted to something of a bit-part role in recent months as a result of Casemiro’s arrival at the Theatre of Dreams, with the 26-year-old - who has been the subject of Premier League interest of late - having started just seven top-flight games all season.

In fact, the towering gem’s solitary start in the competition since the 6-3 drubbing away to rivals Manchester City came against league leaders Arsenal back in January, with McTominay filling in for the suspended Casemiro.

Despite the eventual 3-2 defeat, the £60k-per-week ace more than ‘held his own’ on the day, as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, having won seven of his nine duels against the Gunners, while also recording a solid 7.2 match rating, as per Sofascore.

That display showcased that the “physical monster” - as previously lauded by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - can be a more than adequate understudy for his serial-winning teammate at the base of the midfield, having further rubberstamped that point yesterday.

While an at-times maligned figure at United, having been described as “not good enough” by club legend Roy Keane, McTominay showed his class against Ruben Selles’ men, having won nine duels after entering the fray just before the break.

That standout showing - which earned the Lancaster-born rock a 7.7 match rating, as per Sofascore - also saw him complete one of his two dribbles and record one key pass on the day, having attempted to provide an attacking spark for his side despite being a man light.

Although the 6 foot 4 machine did almost guide the ball into his own net early in the second half, that was a rare blip in an otherwise smooth outing, as he proved integral to securing a hard-earned point for the hosts.

That impressive impact should indicate that McTominay can be trusted to slot into a defensive-minded berth in the coming games, helping to ensure that the absence of Casemiro does not spark an instant downturn in results.