Manchester United's search for a midfielder will continue throughout the season with each game an opportunity for possible targets to impress them.
Joao Gomes looking for the ball.
Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes will miss Manchester United's trip to Molineux on Monday night.
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Manchester United are counting down to the next summer transfer window where they will, inevitably, add yet another midfielder to their ranks. Casemiro has held down the fort this season and to varying degrees of success, but his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
United can extend his deal on the same terms which are currently agreed, but The Manchester Evening News understand the Reds would like to negotiate him down if they were to offer him a new contract. As of yet, no agreement has been reached and, thus, the expectation is he will be leaving Old Trafford next summer.
Should that happen, United would, of course, need to sign a defensive midfielder to plug their gap in the centre. Currently, there are no players in the squad who you could see being the first choice once Casemiro exits. Manuel Ugarte would be the obvious solution, on paper.
However, the Uruguay midfielder has underwhelmed when he has played for United and his performances in the main have been more misses than hits. Beyond the ex-PSG man, the Reds struggle for options. That's why the auditions have been opened for stars to impress Jason Wilcox and Co. ahead of potentially moving to Old Trafford next season.
Brighton and Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba was first up to the plate, but his display was tough to watch. He made a rod for his own back with a 'joke' message to supporters ahead of the game, which was quickly deleted. When the whistle blew, very few were left laughing.
Baleba struggled to stop Bryan Mbeumo all game and, when he was eventually hauled off, the shake of his head said it all. Last Sunday, it was the turn of Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton to impress.
Ruben Amorim stands behind Casemiro.
Casemiro (right) could leave Man Utd when his contract expires next summer.(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
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United know Wharton can perform better than he did at Selhurst Park and mitigating circumstances were at play for his display against the Reds - chiefly among which was him featuring in Strasbourg on Thursday evening. While he would not be a direct replacement for Casemiro, the Englishman is still seen as an option to rebuild the midfield and if he was aiming to put his best foot forward, it did not work out.
With the auditions not going soo well, the door was open for Wolves' Joao Gomes to impress, next Monday night, when the Reds travel to Molineux. The West Midlands club may be struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table, but the Brazilian remains impressive for them.
He would have been eager to make a good impression, but a booking against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night was his fifth of the season. This means Gomes will be suspended when United arrive in town and, thus, a big opportunity is missed for the 24-year-old.
Nobody has taken their chance to show the United recruitment team why they should be the club's No.1 option in the summer transfer window. Gomes' moment was right there, but it has gone completely now.
Matheus Cunha has said Gomes reminded him of Casemiro and undergoing a suspension is something the United midfielder knows all-too well. It's by no means a deal-breaker him being unable to play the Reds on Monday night, but it's very easy to put yourself in the shop window when you face United.
But with that chance gone, Gomes must set his sights on the return fixture at the end of this month.
Such a short period before the next meeting vs United is the only saving grace for the Wolves midfielder.