Erik ten Hag was doing his best to stress how well Manchester United have done without Casemiro this season, but his final comment when discussing the Brazilian's four-game ban might have been the most telling of all.
"He has a huge impact on our game," Ten Hag said of his holding midfielder. Nobody who spent much time watching United this season will dispute that.
The £70million signing from Real Madrid has been as transformative to this team as Ten Hag himself. United have been crying out for a natural defensive midfielder for years and in Casemiro they signed one of the best in the business.
READ MORE: Ten Hag reacts to Sevilla draw in Europa League
Not only does he read the game superbly, allowing his midfield partners to press on, but his passing is outstanding, capable of breaking lines and transforming defensive situations into attacking ones.
The 31-year-old is also a leader. He was desperate to sign for United this summer, even after they lost to Brighton and Brentford, and his experience has been invaluable, guiding his side through games and leading by example, even without the captain's armband.
But United are having to become accustomed to coping without him. His forthcoming four-game ban, which starts against Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-final this weekend, will eventually take him to eight domestic games missed through suspension since January 22.
The yellow card he picked up against Crystal Palace ruled him out of the Arsenal game for collecting five bookings. Since then there have been straight red cards against Palace at Old Trafford and then Southampton.
United were overrun without him at the Emirates, allowing Arsenal 25 shots and clinging on grimly until the final couple of minutes. They needed to come from behind to draw against Leeds at Old Trafford and then struggled without him at Elland Road before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes.
Casemiro was also missing for the heavy defeats at Brentford (when he hadn't yet signed) and Manchester City (on the bench) earlier in the season, while his poorest performance by some distance came in the 7-0 defeat at Liverpool.
United are a little fortunate that this latest ban incorporates three home games against Fulham, Everton and Brentford. They really should be able to cope without him there, while a trip to Newcastle isn't as daunting as it was two months ago.
How Ten Hag goes about replacing him will be interesting, however. Scott McTominay is the natural replacement from a defensive point of view, but that will restrict United going forward. The Scot just can't get the ball moving through the midfield as well as Casemiro can.
The second option is to play a more attacking combination of Marcel Sabitzer and Fred, with Bruno Fernandes in advance of them. Sabitzer and Fred can contribute in the final third and move the ball forward, but both are more like No. 8s than holding midfielders.
Perhaps that will be enough in the four games that Casemiro will miss, but with Ten Hag insistent that United can cope - and have already coped - without him, this run of games promises to be illuminating.
READ NEXT:
