Casemiro remains irreplaceable in central midfield and there is no plan to cope without him.placeholder image
Casemiro remains irreplaceable in central midfield and there is no plan to cope without him. | Getty Images
Casemiro’s Manchester United contract is due to expire at the end of the season after four seasons with the club.
One of the players who has impressed this season has been midfielder Casemiro, who has made the holding midfield role his own. The Brazilian international has made 10 league appearances, scoring three goals, and providing one assist.
Liverpool and Newcastle to battle United for Anderson
The main candidate to replace Casemiro so far has been Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, who is expected to cost at least £100m. The midfielder has become one of the better holding players in the Premier League and has also broken out into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad as a regular.
Forest placed a £100m price tag on Anderson, and so, it could be a difficult deal for all three clubs to complete. Man United, for example, may need to make a couple of sales, or let Casemiro leave to save on wage budget, if they are to afford a deal for Anderson, especially in the January transfer window.
Which other midfielders could Man United sign?
In terms of big-money holding midfielders to be the long-term solution at Old Trafford, there are two other big names that have been linked. The first one is Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, who has also been linked with Liverpool. Wharton has also impressed in the England set-up, and become one of the most defensively sound midfielders in the league.
As well as Wharton and Anderson, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is also linked. He was United’s first target of the three, as United were very keen on him in the summer. However, Brighton placed a £100m plus price tag on him, and so they couldn’t afford him at the time.
Any of the three could be the long-term solution in the middle of the park for Ruben Amorim, as they are all a similar age, and they are all proven Premier League players. Anderson seems to be the first-choice based on what all the reports are saying, but if Liverpool or Newcastle go after him too, then United may have to go after one of the other two.
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