Manchester United will lose a lot when Casemiro departs in the summer, but the 112-touch performance against Palace proved to the club that there is only one replacement for him.
The midfield is going to be a position of urgent need anyway for Man Utd in the summer window, made all the more necessary by losing Casemiro.
Casemiro’s defensive nous is elite, and his knack for scoring from set-pieces is just two things United will miss next season.
However, what he showed against Palace proved that United aren’t just losing a defensive monster, but they are also losing an orchestrator. It’s why only one player can replace him.
Casemiro of Manchester United in action during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on March 1, 2026 in Manchester
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Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes (L) congratulates Manchester United's Slovenian striker #30 Benjamin Sesko
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Casemiro’s complete game against Crystal Palace
In many ways, Casemiro almost became a victim of his own elite defensive skill at Real Madrid, as he was shoehorned into a destroyer role.
With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric pulling the strings, Casemiro became the “cement between the stones”, as Erik ten Hag put it later.
However, he has shown at Old Trafford that he is much more than a pure destroyer, as he has combined those elite defensive skills with a knack for scoring.
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What’s still going under the radar is his work with the ball, be it by circulating possession, or by playing raking passes through the lines.
Casemiro is becoming as good an orchestrator as he is a destroyer, as he showed against Palace.
The Brazilian finished the game with a remarkable 115 touches of the ball, which was the highest among all players in either team by some distance.
He finished 77 out of his 98 attempted passes, and with 19 passes into the final third, emerged as United’s key on-ball presence in midfield. [Stats courtesy FotMob]
This was not a destroyer in action. This was an orchestrator schooling everyone on how to control a game for his team while disrupting it for the opposition.
This complete performance means United can’t look at just destroyers when they want to replace him. That leaves only one name on the list.
Man Utd must go all-out for Elliot Anderson
United have been linked to many midfielders, but watching Casemiro’s contribution to the club, Elliot Anderson is the only one who comes close to replacing him fully.
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Baleba is combative but lacks quality on the ball. Wharton is quality on the ball but lacks the combativeness. Sandro Tonali is more of a pacy, final third threat but lacks defensive nous.
Elliot Anderson is the only one who combines combativeness with quality on the ball, be it by progressing with passes or carrying it forward.
He lacks the goalscoring nous of Casemiro, but so do all the other names mentioned above. At least he’s a close copy of Casemiro in every other department, which can’t be said for others.
Somebody like Carlos Baleba could have worked for Ruben Amorim, as he wanted athleticism over anything else, but Anderson is the perfect modern defensive midfielder.
Casemiro’s orchestrating masterclass vs Palace proved he’s the only one who can replicate that level.
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