“Tell them I’ll fix it”. Those were the words of Casemiro to his agent, the Brazilian watching on as Manchester United sank to arguably the nadir of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era away at Brentford.
There was no bruised ego at having not been Erik ten Hag’s first-choice target that summer, after the protracted pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, with the £70m man even forced to wait until the October to make his first Premier League start.
From his first goal away at Stamford Bridge, and the impassioned, chest-beating celebration that followed, Casemiro’s dedication to the cause has been unquestionable, now deservingly enjoying a farewell tour amid his final stretch of games at Old Trafford.
In both boxes, the 34-year-old will leave a colossal void to be filled heading into next summer, with a raft of potential replacements being considered in that midfield department.
Man Utd favourites to sign Casemiro replacement from Serie A
‘One more year, Casemiro’ continues to ring around the Theatre of Dreams, although the ex-Real Madrid man has again made it clear this week that the decision is final, with only three games remaining in a United shirt.
|
Casemiro – 24/25 vs 25/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
24/25 |
Stat (*per game) |
25/26 |
|
24 |
Games |
33 |
|
1 |
Goals |
9 |
|
0 |
Assists |
2 |
|
80% |
Pass accuracy* |
81% |
|
0.9 |
Key passes* |
1.0 |
|
3 |
Big chances created |
4 |
|
1 |
Big chances missed |
6 |
|
3.5 |
Tackles* |
2.7 |
|
0.6 |
Interceptions* |
0.9 |
|
64% |
Total duels won* |
53% |
In terms of acquiring a suitable successor, it’s no secret that Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is the priority target, albeit with rivals Manchester City leading the chase for the £120m-rated sensation.
With two if not three midfielders likely to be needed, depending on Manuel Ugarte’s future, INEOS seemingly can’t afford such an outlay, ensuring a more affordable Casemiro replacement could be on the cards.
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A number of their additions haven’t lived up to expectations.
Indeed, as reported by TuttoAtalanta, the Old Trafford side are believed to be the favourites to sign fellow Brazilian, Ederson, from Atalanta this summer.
The report suggests that the 26-year-old is set to wave goodbye to the Serie A outfit at the end of the season, with United said to be ‘clearly ahead’ of Atletico Madrid in the race for his signature.
This comes following prior reports which suggested that the former Salernitana man could be available for a fee of around £42m, with just a year to run on his current deal.
How Ederson compares to Casemiro in his prime
Now up to nine Premier League goals in 2025/26, Casemiro is arguably enjoying his finest season yet in Manchester, having enjoyed a real resurgence following a difficult spell in Ten Hag’s final days in charge.
Even for all his importance, it’s worth remembering that United never truly saw the South American in his pomp, having previously claimed five Champions League titles in Madrid, emerging as arguably the finest defensive midfielder in Europe for a time.
Alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, he was the glue holding it all together at the Bernabeu, a monster ball-winner who allowed the club’s attacking talent to flourish ahead of him.
Ederson, while not operating at the very elite level of the European game, certainly fits into that bracket, having been hailed as the “strongest defensive midfielder in the world” by Damiano Er Faina.
Such praise isn’t without merit, with the in-demand talent enjoying another fine season in Italy, averaging 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game in Serie A, while averaging 4.5 ball recoveries per game.
With an 89% pass accuracy rate to boot, Ederson keeps things neat and tidy in the centre of the park, doing the dirty work in an almost unseen way in Bergamo.
Like Casemiro at his best, he’s no easy figure to get around, having been dribbled past just 0.6 times per game this season so far, while committing just 1.2 fouls on average.
He’s relentless without being reckless, having been sent off just once in 178 games for Atlanta to date, with even that having not been a straight red.
Casemiro, for context, was sent off only twice back in Madrid, having again never received a straight red prior to joining United.
In the latter man’s final campaign with Los Blancos, in 2021/22, his record wasn’t too dissimilar to Ederson’s either, having averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions, while boasting an 86% pass accuracy rate.
Like Ederson too – who has scored one league goal all season – Casemiro wasn’t the free-scoring sensation that he has become in Manchester, having also ended that campaign with just one LaLiga goal.
In the veteran’s case, he was something of an unsung hero in Madrid who has emerged as an almost talismanic figure in Manchester. Might Ederson be on course to do the same?
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