Manchester United midfielder Casemiro will serve a four-game domestic suspension after being sent off against Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
The Brazil international, 31, was shown his march orders for a reckless lunge on Carlos Alcaraz during the first half of their Premier League fixture at Old Trafford. Casemiro was initially booked for the challenge but the decision was overturned on a VAR review.
As Casemiro has already been sent off once in the Premier League this season, he will serve a four-match domestic ban rather than the usual three. That will wreak havoc on United's Premier League and FA Cup campaigns during the coming month.
Casemiro will be unavailable to take part in United's upcoming Premier League games against top-four rivals Newcastle, European hopefuls Brentford and relegation candidates Everton. He will also miss their FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham at Old Trafford.
The ban is not applicable for European competitions, meaning Casemiro will be available for the second leg of United's last-16 Europa League clash against Real Betis on Thursday. The Red Devils will take a commanding 4-1 lead to Spain for that clash.
Casemiro will also be available for the quarter-finals of the Europa League should United progress. Nevertheless, the red card is a blow for United's domestic hopes. Casemiro has played a pivotal role in their success this season - helping them win the Carabao Cup.
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The Brazilian was signed from Real Madrid in a £70million deal last summer. Remarkably, he was never shown a straight red card during his time in the Spanish capital. His first dismissal this season came during the 1-0 home win against Crystal Palace in February.
Casemiro was visibly distraught with his red card against Southampton. He needed to be consoled by compatriot Antony before making his way down the tunnel.
United defender Phil Jones explained Casemiro's importance to the team during a recent interview with Sky Sports. The injured star said, "It's the way he sets up those attacks. He has a calming effect on the lads. On the pitch you can see everyone feeds off that.
"He is very infectious and the way he leads and the way he plays his football you know. Everybody sees that and feeds off him. You can see how successful they have been when he's been in the team."
Ten Hag has previously said, "Casemiro has not surprised me - absolutely not. I knew what a magnificent player he was. Just look at his profile, all the cups he’s won, that’s not a coincidence... he has won five Champions Leagues, that’s not a coincidence."
Ten Hag added, "Casemiro is such a leader and so important for us. Not only with his performances and skills, like scoring goals with his headers, or linking up, or intercepting balls, but also his organisation, his mentality, the culture he projects."
