Tonight, a Red who was comparatively out of favor performed exceptionally well upon his return to Spain.

The teams will go into next week’s match at Old Trafford with everything on the line after Manchester United was held to a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League matchup in the round of 16.

As Ruben Amorim navigates his first term as manager of the Red Devils, it’s now a case of Europa success or bust. Although they displayed some of their threat tonight, performances will need to significantly improve if they hope to win the competition in Bilbao this summer.

Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte, two important players, had injury setbacks in the lead-up to the match at Reale Arena, according to Amorim. The latter’s ailment forced Casemiro back into the starting lineup for just the sixth time since the new head coach took over.

Why Casemiro made an impression during the Sociedad standoff

Over the past year, Casemiro has significantly dropped in the hierarchy. Credit where credit is due, though, for despite his egregious fall, he has consistently performed admirably when called upon.

The former Real Madrid star was able to thrive in such familiar circumstances in the nation where he spent nine years of his career. According to StatmanDave, Casemiro made five tackles, the most of any player, and scored an 83 percent tackle win rate.

In his ninety minutes on the San Sebastian pitch, he also made two clearances, two blocks, and two interceptions in addition to winning eight duels.

Whether he will keep his spot for Sunday’s visit from Arsenal is still up in the air.