Inter Miami's Lionel Messi goes down during the US Major League Soccer game between Inter Miami and the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) at the LA Memorial Coliseum stadium. Ariana Ruiz/PI via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Lionel Messi's Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami suffered defeat in their season opener while runners-up Vancouver Whitecaps with Thomas Müller had a winning start.
Miami lost 3-0 at Los Angeles FC in front of the second-largest crowd in MLS history, with 75,673 fans present at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
David Martínez gave the hosts the lead in the 38th minute, set up by former Tottenham Hotspur great Son Heung-min. Denis Bouanga doubled the advantage in the 73rd before substitute Nathan Ordaz sealed the result deep into stoppage time.
Handicapped by a hamstring problem, Argentina's World Cup winner Messi was unable to seriously test former France international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the LAFC goal.
In Vancouver, German World Cup winner Thomas Müller hit the post early on before new signing Ariel Jackson netted the 1-0 winner against Real Salt Lake in the 57th minute.
Manchester United defensive midfielder Casemiro could reportedly be set to have three offers on the table for him when he becomes a free agent this summer.
The Brazilian has already announced his decision to leave Man Utd when his contract expires, and it seems he’ll have some intriguing opportunities available to him.
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According to the Sun, one option for Casemiro could be Inter Miami, with the 33-year-old even making a recent visit to Florida to get a feel for the area.
Casemiro can leave Manchester United with his head held high
Casemiro is leaving Manchester United (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Casemiro has had a slightly mixed spell at Old Trafford, but he has improved a lot since suffering a major slump in form a couple of years ago.
The former Real Madrid man probably hasn’t quite lived up to expectations overall, having arrived in the Premier League quite late in his career, but he’s done well to turn things around and improve his reputation with the club’s fans.
Overall, Casemiro has enjoyed a legendary career at the highest level, having been a star player for Real Madrid for many years and helping himself to five Champions League titles and three La Liga titles while he was at the Bernabeu.
Manchester United need to replace Casemiro
Even if MUFC probably needed to strengthen in midfield anyway, the departure of Casemiro makes it an urgent priority.
One name being linked as a potential defensive midfield target is Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana, as per Football Insider, while other big names like Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton have previously been linked by the Athletic.
United fans will hope that Casemiro announcing his exit early will have helped the club plan for replacing him in midfield.
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