In usual circumstances, Casemiro would see a third-round Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley as a chance to take a break and conserve energy at the start of a busy season.
Instead, it is a sign of the times for the Brazil star that Tuesday night's game at Old Trafford is an opportunity to return to the starting line-up and set about confounding the critics who are ready to write him off.
Dropped to the bench at Southampton on Saturday after his calamitous display against Liverpool, Casemiro was sitting alongside new £50million signing Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer, two defensive midfielders earmarked to replace him.
He made it on as an emergency centre back at St Mary's in time to have a hand in the last goal in United's 3-0 victory, but there is no guarantee it will earn him a recall on Saturday evening at Crystal Palace.
Before then, it will be interesting to see what team Erik ten Hag picks against Barnsley. After all, it's not the kind of stage on which you would usually expect to be judging a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid.
Casemiro's fall from grace has seen the former Real Madrid superstar go from winning five Champions League titles to struggling to get picked against Barnsley
The Brazilian won 12 titles during his time with the LaLiga giants, between 2014 and 2022
But Casemiro has shown a drop off in form since joining Man United for £70m in 2022
'It's a nice headache,' said Ten Hag on Monday. 'Last year I also had headaches but there were no players available. Definitely we have to rotate because we have to cover so many games.'
Casemiro's continued absence from the Brazil squad gave him a chance to talk with the United manager about his situation during the international break, after a brief family holiday.
Ten Hag insists he still 'needs' the 32-year-old, but the sceptics would say he doesn't need him as much as he once did. No longer the 'cement between the stones', as he was so fond of saying.
United courted interest from Saudi Arabia after co-owners Ineos deemed his £375,000-a-week wages excessive, and Galatasaray were hovering before last week's transfer deadline in Turkey. Not that Casemiro considered it for an instant.
But it reflected his change in circumstances following a difficult second season at United in which he suffered a serious hamstring injury and admitted to having sleepless nights over the club's failures; a season that ended in personal disappointment and intrigue at the FA Cup final in May.
Casemiro left United's celebrations at the Marriott Mayfair to board a flight to Sao Paulo with wife Anna, daughter Sara and son Caio, posing for a family photo before take-off.
The plush interior of the private jet and smiles on the faces of Casemiro and his young family could hardly have painted a more positive picture of his life as a United player. The reality was rather different.
Named on the bench for the showpiece against Manchester City, he pulled out altogether before kick-off complaining of a tight hamstring, although his fitness was the subject of some conjecture in Brazil in the days that followed.
It is a sign of the times that the Brazilian may see Tuesday's game against Barnsley in the EFL Cup as a chance to earn a place in Erik ten Hag's starting line-up
United courted interest from Saudi Arabia after co-owners INEOS deemed his £375,000-a-week wages excessive. Galatasaray had also shown an interest
Ten Hag has insisted that he still needs the 32-year-old midfielder but sceptics would disagree
Casemiro is said to have been saddened at missing the Cup final, though proud of his role in United's run to Wembley which included an 89th-minute winner at Nottingham Forest to send Ten Hag's side into the quarter-finals.
It coincided with him being dropped from the Brazil squad for the first time in seven years and missing the Copa America this summer, as well as the latest World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay. It's 11 months since he won the last of his 75 caps.
Casemiro is refusing to give up on his international career but took advantage of the situation to have six weeks off this summer — at least 10 days more than he has been used to for a decade. After spending time at home in Sao Paulo, the family went on holiday to America.
His conditioning has been questioned in the past, particularly in pre-season, but it was noted how lean he looked on returning to Carrington this summer. He had worked on his fitness in a gym at home and on injury prevention with his personal physio, a regime he has followed since his first year at Real Madrid.
But there was another big setback just three games into the Premier League season when his errors against Liverpool led to two goals for Luis Diaz and Ten Hag's decision to hook him at half-time.
Despite their heart-to-heart during the international break, it cost Casemiro his place against Southampton and he will be hoping for a recall against Palace on Saturday.
Anna Mariana Casemiro is standing by her man but he may no longer be a guaranteed starter for Man United
A misplaced pass by Casemiro led to Liverpool's opening goal at Old Trafford during the Red Devils' 3-0 defeat by their rivals earlier this month
The midfielder was then tackled seconds before Liverpool scored again to make it 2-0
Casemiro was fiercely criticised for his performance vs Liverpool, but his wife hit back at his critics reminding them of his glittering trophy cabinet
To measure the change in Casemiro's status at United, we need look no further than his previous two trips to Selhurst Park. On his first visit in January 2023, a late booking meant he was banned for the next game against Arsenal. You could see the mood swing in United. They conceded a late equaliser, denying Ten Hag a 10th straight win, and lost at the Emirates four days later.
That's how important Casemiro was back then. A talisman who inspired United's triumph over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final the following month.
When he returned to Selhurst in May, playing as an emergency centre back in an injury-hit team, he produced the kind of performance that convinced Ten Hag to bench him for the Cup final as United were routed 4-0 by a Michael Olise-inspired Palace and Casemiro was monstered by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Working as a pundit for Sky Sports that night, Jamie Carragher said: 'When I retired, I heard a saying I always remember: leave the football before the football leaves you.'
Jamie Carragher said the midfielder's performance against Liverpool was 'sad to see' but faced backlash over his comments
No one can question Casemiro's achievements in the game. It is what he has left to offer that is open to debate now
Carragher recited the saying as Casemiro floundered against Liverpool earlier this month, prompting the player's wife Anna to post a picture on Instagram of a glittering trophy cabinet at their home.
No one can question Casemiro's achievements in the game. It is what he has left to offer that is open to debate now.