March 17, (THEWILL) – Manchester United’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has been ruled out of the upcoming international friendlies against England and Spain due to an injury, Brazil’s national team coach Dorival Junior has confirmed.
The 32-year-old joins a growing list of absentees for the Selecao ahead of their high-profile matches at Wembley on March 23rd and the Santiago Bernabeu three days later.
The injuries have taken a toll on Brazil’s squad, with Dorival Junior revealing, “From a preliminary list of 50 names, 13 had already been ruled out by injury at their clubs.” Alongside Casemiro, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli, and Paris St Germain defender Marquinhos will also miss the friendlies through injury.
To compensate for Casemiro’s absence, Porto’s 27-year-old winger Pepe has been called up to the national squad. “Pepe, from Porto, a forward by origin and now a midfielder, has been called up,” stated Junior. This will be Pepe’s second call-up for Brazil after making his debut in a 2-1 loss to Colombia in a World Cup qualifier in 2023.
Furthermore, Dorival Junior has drafted in Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Leo Jardim, Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno, and Porto forward Galeno as replacements for the injured players. All three receive their first call-ups to the Brazilian national team.
The spate of injuries in the Brazilian team will test their squad depth in the high-profile friendlies against England and Spain. The clashes provide valuable preparation ahead of their bid to reclaim the World Cup in 2026.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
