Manchester United have had a strong summer transfer window, with manager Ruben Amorim able to bolster several areas of his squad.
The club spent £216m on bringing in forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, as well as new goalkeeper Senne Lammens, while a host of first-team players also departed.
Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof departed following the expiry of their contracts, while Alejandro Garnacho was sold to Chelsea, and Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Andre Onana have been loaned out to Barcelona, Aston Villa and Trabzonspor respectively.
Yet despite all the changes to the squad, 33-year-old Casemiro who has been on the decline for two seasons is still one of the first names on the teamsheet in midfield, and questions have to be asked as to how that has been allowed to happen.
Casemiro Should Have Been Moved On
Amorim and Casemiro
Casemiro, who moved to Old Trafford in 2022 in a deal worth £60m plus a further £10m in add-ons, has struggled with the physicality and intensity of the Premier League in recent years.
His first season in England saw him perform well, coming off the back of several Champions League victories in the Spanish capital, but since then he has struggled to find his best form.
The Brazil international has been linked with a move away from Manchester since the end of his second season, with interest from Saudi clubs, but a deal has never materialised. Yet despite constant speculation around his future, he remains a member of the starting lineup that Amorim chooses on a regular basis.
That's despite Kobbie Mainoo being part of the squad and Man Utd having spent over £50m on the arrival of Manuel Ugarte less than 12 months ago for the same role.
What makes it worse now, is that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have been very open about their struggles with funds. Yet the Red Devils were able to splash £216m this summer, and didn't address arguably their biggest issue.
There is no doubting that new forwards and a new goalkeeper was needed, but there was already quality in attack in particular. The additions of Mbeumo and Cunha were most definitely a necessity, but whether splashing £70m on Sesko was the right thing to do remains to be seen.
If an Amorim system can't get the likes of Mbeumo, Cunha, Joshua Zirkzee, Amad, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund scoring goals, then Sesko won't be much of a help. But putting that £70m towards a new central midfield engine to replace Casemiro would have been perfect to improve build up, help defensively and balance the team out more.
Instead, the club still have midfield issues until at least 2026 and they have taken yet another steep gamble on their forward line with a young, talented striker who remains unproven at the highest level.
Casemiro's contract will expire next summer and the midfield will undoubtedly be a priority in the transfer window. But the club missed the opportunity to replace him already, and it's a farce that he's still in what is considered to be Man Utd's strongest starting XI in 2025 after another £216m was spent.
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