Man United’s Casemiro left out of FA Cup final and later withdrawn from bench due to injury
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was named on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City and was then withdrawn because of a “late injury issue.”
The Brazil international and five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid was a surprise exclusion from Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup.
United said Casemiro, who has been heavily criticized for his performances this season, was not 100% going into the match at Wembley. It did not expand on the nature of the injury.
He was replaced on the bench by defender Willy Kambwala.
Rasmus Hojlund was another high-profile exclusion from the starting lineup. He joined the club after an $82 million move from Atalanta in the offseason.
Marcus Rashford started in attack, with on-loan Sofyan Amrabat also playing.
City manager Pep Guardiola named Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias on the bench as he looked to complete back-to-back Premier League and FA Cup doubles.
John Stones was picked to start for the first time since City’s win against Chelsea in the semi-final on April 20.
City beat United 2-1 in last year’s final.
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Ake, Stones, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Foden, Silva, Haaland.
Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot, Mainoo, Amrabat, Garnacho, McTominay, Rashford, Fernandes.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer