Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was a late withdrawal from the squad to face Manchester City at Wembley.
Initially there was a little shock when Casemiro was named on the bench for the FA Cup Final. Then news emerged that he was not even among the substitutes, with Willy Kambwala taking his place.
On selection alone, it would have been a big call. Casemiro has big game experience, a five-times Champions League winner against Real Madrid.
Even with his declining form and influence, it would have been a big call to leave him out – even though Sofyan Amrabat more than deserved his spot, and seized his chance.
The reason for Casemiro’s absence which emerged was that it was injury related – rather than being a selection decision.
Casemiro drop out shocked teammates
Casemiro being missing from the squad came as a surprise, as there had been no suggestion he was injured in the lead-up to the final.
The Athletic report that not everybody was aware of Casemiro’s injury in the lead-up to the final..
It is claimed: “Some people close to the team suspected an element of calculation on Casemiro’s part given Ten Hag had dropped him from the starting line-up after he had filled in at centre-back for seven successive games to help the club.
“There was consternation among players and staff about the timing of Casemiro reporting his problem.”
It is added: “United said on the day of the final he was not fully fit in the days building up to the game and then felt a tightness that meant he was unable to play.
“People close to the player insist this was the case.”
Manchester United win helped mask issue
Manchester United’s victory meant the day at Wembley was one of celebration, where the Casemiro issue became a mere side-note.
If United had lost, we may have seen a full inquest into this in the subsequent days, with the late changes to the squad pointed at, for being a contributory factor to the loss.
Instead the win showed how well United did, to shut out the confusion, and come together with those who were available.
In some ways, this is what the team have been doing all year. It has been routine for players to drop out injured, and in many cases, it has been tough to deal with. It turned out, this was all good practice, so that when Casemiro was unavailable at Wembley, the players knew they just had to push through regardless, and did not take the changes as an excuse or distraction.