Casemiro's summer break hasn't helped revive the veteran Brazilian - Man Utd need to move him on as soon as possible

While his Manchester United team-mates were dripping with sweat at the Copa America, or being soaked in rain at the European Championship in Germany, Casemiro was able to enjoy his holidays. And if his Instagram account is anything to go by, he’s had quite the summer.

He and his young family jetted off to Orlando to visit Disney World, a trip he famously cancelled in 2019 to rush back to training after Real Madrid had been hammered 7-2 by Atletico Madrid in pre-season. He drove a classic Volkswagen Beatle around Brazil and then he and his wife celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a helicopter ride and by drinking the finest wine.

And who can blame him for enjoying his holiday after the awful season he had just endured? Casemiro’s reputation as a world-class midfielder and serial winner had been dragged through the mud by a dire campaign for him and his club. He was one of the main scapegoats of United’s lowest ever finish in the Premier League, while Jamie Carragher had urged him to quit elite football for his own good.

He was absent from the Red Devils’ one positive episode, missing the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City amid confusion as to whether he was injured or had refused to be a substitute. His woeful performances saw him axed from the Brazil squad for the first time in a decade, leaving him with no Copa America.

The upside of that was he got a rare extended break and some time to relax away from the glare of anxious United fans and the critical media. But now his holidays are over, he is back to work, and the time off appears to have made very little difference. And that presents a big problem for him and the Red Devils.