Gary Neville has now profiled exactly what Manchester United should be looking for in the transfer market to replace Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte at Old Trafford.
Casemiro’s exit from Manchester United has already been announced and the 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder will end his Old Trafford playing spell this summer.
The five-time Champions League winner will be out of contract with United at the end of the 2025-26 Premier League season amid links to clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Manuel Ugarte, on the other hand, has struggled to secure regular United first-team minutes under both Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick in the current campaign.
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Casemiro celebrates scoring the opener during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Gary Neville explains the key signings that Man Utd need that mirror Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte
Casemiro has enjoyed a resurgence in form at Old Trafford ahead of the Brazil international’s current contract with Manchester United expiring in June.
The former Real Madrid midfielder has netted seven times and registered two assists in 29 matches across all competitions for the Red Devils in the 2025-26 season.
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Manuel Ugarte, who is under contract with Man Utd until 2029, has only managed 22 appearances for the Red Devils and has not scored or assisted in their campaign.
The 24-year-old Uruguayan defensive midfielder has only featured in the starting XI seven times in 20 Premier League matches for Man Utd this season alone.
Speaking after Man Utd’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa, Gary Neville insisted that the Red Devils need to sign a “Michael Carrick-type” midfielder and a “destroyer” midfielder.
“Casemiro is leaving and I think Ugarte will leave, so they need two really good central midfield players,” he said on Sky Sports’ The Gary Neville Podcast.
“Probably one that’s more positional, maybe like a Michael Carrick-type, and one that is more of a destroyer.”
The 51-year-old United legend added: “Basically, they need those two players and that’s the next area of focus.
“I do think the back needs looking at, but I think the midfield will be the real focus in the summer transfer window.”
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Gary Neville’s concerns for Man Utd’s midfield amid their issues around Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte
Ugarte’s struggles at Old Trafford since his 2024 move from Paris Saint-Germain have led to speculation that Man Utd could offload the Uruguay international this summer.
Kobbie Mainoo has enjoyed a resurgence in form under interim boss Michael Carrick and has been the preferred pick to play alongside Casemiro in the United midfield.
However, Sky Sports pundit Neville admitted that he is deeply concerned with the Red Devils’ lack of midfield depth outside of England international Kobbie Mainoo.
“I think Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are doing a great job right now for Michael Carrick, however, every United fan in this stadium knows that’s going to be nowhere near enough when United start playing in the Champions League next season, which is more than likely they will, and they don’t get knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in the first round,” he said.
“They’re going to need three or four really good central midfielders. At the moment, they’ve got Mainoo, who you can buy into, but you can’t really look at any of the others and think that’s going to work.”
Man Utd’s 3-1 win over fourth-place Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon has put the Red Devils three points clear of Unai Emery’s men in the table now.
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