45 touches, 25 passes – Rúben Amorim must start Manchester United star Alan Shearer called “quality” vs Fulham

Rúben Amorim must start one Manchester United star Alan Shearer called quality after his performance off the bench against Fulham in the FA Cup.

Manchester United suffered a penalty-shootout defeat to Fulham after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round.

United started brightly but were wasteful in attack, and Fulham punished them just before half-time when Calvin Bassey capitalised on poor defending from a corner. Rúben Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Victor Lindelöf at the break, with Christian Eriksen dropping into midfield, but Fulham remained in control.

Chido Obi and Casemiro came on, and Bruno Fernandes quickly equalised with a precise low finish. United had chances to win in normal time but couldn’t convert, forcing extra time. They dominated the final 30 minutes, with Obi and Garnacho going close, yet the match went to penalties.

Both teams scored their first three spot-kicks before Bernd Leno saved from Lindelöf, and Joshua Zirkzee suffered the same fate, sealing United’s exit.

Shearer praises Casemiro vs Fulham

Many were surprised to see Christian Eriksen start against Fulham when the team sheets arrived, with Amorim stating Garnacho had a slight knock and he wanted to use Eriksen’s experience on the pitch.

However, with the Danish international failing to impress and being replaced by Casemiro with 20 minutes of regulation time to play, the Brazilian international outshone Eriksen by a distance.

“Casemiro has done well since he’s been on the pitch, he’s played some crucial passes,” Shearer commented. “There’s no doubt Man United have benefited from that.”

Due to extra time, Casemiro ended up playing 52 minutes, having 45 touches and completing 25 of his 33 attempted passes, many of which were more audacious efforts looking to get United on the attack.

He also won four of his six attempted duels, playing five passes into the final third and winning three of his four attempted tackles, as well as converting his penalty in the shootout.

Casemiro must start vs Real Sociedad

Following the Fulham result, United will be turning their attention to the Europa LEague, where they face Real Sociedad in the first stage of the knockout phase.

Read More: Manchester United’s five things noticed vs Fulham, one Rúben Amorim player is put to shame

Although Casemiro’s age has started to show in his performances, the game he played against Fulham means he must be given a chance to start in midweek.

Casemiro knows Spanish football well, having spent around a decade at Real Madrid, and if any player can help guide United to a victory in a game where they will be labelled underdogs, it’s the five-time Champions League winner.

Who Casemiro starts ahead of is a different question. While he will have to play as one of the deeper two players, Amorim must choose if he wants to start the midfielder alongside Bruno Fernandes or if he feels United would be more defensively secure with Casemiro next to Manuel Ugarte, with Fernandes pushing further up the pitch.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.