Erik ten Hag downplays Casemiro’s suspension as the star midfielder will miss Arsenal game

Erik ten Hag has warned Arsenal that Manchester United have a plan to compensate for Casemiro’s absence at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Brazilian star has been a huge influence at United since signing from Real Madrid in the summer for £65m, but he will miss this weekend’s game after suffering a one-game ban on a booking at Crystal Palace in midweek had received.

However, Casemiro only played the final 10 minutes as a substitute as Ten Hag scored in a 3-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford in early September and the United manager believes he has a game plan to beat the Gunners again.

Manchester United will be without star midfielder Casemiro for this weekend’s game against leaders Arsenal

Manager Erik ten Hag said he had “an idea” on how to help his side get through the game

That was Arsenal’s only Premier League defeat of the season, with Mikel Arteta’s side going 12 games unbeaten – including 10 wins and two draws – to sit five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

United are a further three points adrift in third place and Ten Hag will be keen to seize the opportunity to gain ground on their opponents.

“We beat Arsenal last time without Casemiro. We have an idea how to deal with it,” said the Dutchman, who will have to wait and see if Anthony Martial and Diogo Dalot have recovered from their injuries in time.

The Brazilian picked up his fifth booking of the season against Crystal Palace in midweek

“It’s obvious they’re on a really good run and I think they deserve the position they’re in now. It’s a really good structure the way they play.

“It’s a really good mentality and a winning mentality in the team. That’s why they’re at the top of the list. You’re on a great run. It’s up to us to beat (stop) their run and we will do everything we can to do so.

“The moment we played them, you could see that the manager and the coaching staff have been working on the team for a long time. You can see really good structures in the team.

“They even improved in the first half of the season. There’s a really good spirit in their team, so we know what to do. We have to be really good. We need a really good performance. But if we do that, I think we have a good chance of getting a good result from this performance as well.’

ten Hag was full of praise for the work Mikel Arteta has done with the Gunners this campaign

Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand