Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro returned to first-team training at Carrington on Wednesday for Manchester United. This gave Erik ten Hag two huge boosts ahead of the next schedule.

Martinez hasn’t been able to play since September when he had a second surgery to fix a problem with his metatarsal that started in April of last year. Casemiro pulled his hamstring at the beginning of November and hasn’t played since.

Both of them, who joined United in the summer of 2022, have been greatly missed. Ten Hag’s team has had a hard time getting results and being consistent without them. Ten Hag said in early November that he didn’t think they would play again until after Christmas.

Now that they are back in training with the first team, the United manager will be hoping he can get them out on the field soon. United only has two games this month after having a busy December. On Monday, they play Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup third round, and on Sunday, they host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

The club’s own media team filmed both players as they were put through their paces at Carrington. Bruno Fernandes, the captain, and another midfielder, watched every move Casemiro made. Together with Christian Eriksen, they were very good for United’s engine room last season.

Fernandes was always by Casemiro’s side in the video that the club shared, which showed the players doing running sprints and other fitness work. The players stopped moving for a moment, and Fernandes and Casemiro were seen talking and happy while putting their arms around each other.

Our knowledge of what they talked about is limited, but the hug made it look like Fernandes was glad to have the Brazilian back working with him. The enforcer in the middle of the field has skills that no one else on the Reds’ center has, even though his play had gotten worse this season before he got hurt.

The way they hugged was so nice to see, and it made United fans excited because it meant their best midfielder might be about to be used. A lot of people are hoping that when Casemiro comes back, he will be put in the middle of the field with Kobbie Mainoo and Fernandes.

That trio would give United a good mix of defending smarts, control, and creativity. It could be said that Mainoo is at his best when he is playing as a No.8 and moving between the defense and the attack.