Man Utd aren't signing a natural replacement for Casemiro this summer, but they will need to look at replacing one attribute he brought to the side.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick shake hands with Casemiro as he is substituted during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on May 17, 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Michael Carrick will be without the experience of Casemiro next season(Image: Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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How do you replace a five-time Champions League winner with nearly 500 appearances for Real Madrid and Manchester United and 91 caps for Brazil? For United, the answer is you don't replace him directly.
Casemiro has now formally left Old Trafford after his contract expired at the end of June, and the process of rebuilding the midfield has begun. His countryman Andrey Santos is set to sign for £50million, although a £38.3million deal for Ederson hangs in the balance.
Santos is just 22 and has limited senior experience, even if he has six caps for Brazil. Ederson's move from Atalanta could collapse over concerns around a knee injury, but although he is 27, his experience only amounts to playing for a top-six club in Serie A.
United's other primary midfield target at the moment is 22-year-old Alex Scott of Bournemouth, while they also wanted Elliot Anderson, 23, and Mateus Fernandes, 21, before they moved to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, respectively.
None of these players are natural holding midfielders and the MEN revealed last week, United aren't looking to sign someone for that role, instead focusing on mobility and physicality as well as high technical skills.
That might make sense for a midfield that wants to dominate possession, especially when Kobbie Mainoo improved his own work without the ball in the second half of last season. But while focusing on youth, United might be overlooking something else that Casemiro brought, and that is the experience.
Even when he signed for United, he had seen and done it all. He brought a sense of calm to the dressing room because of that experience and that is a lot to lose in one summer, especially when his replacements are young players.
Mainoo himself is only 21 and United's midfield could be very young next season. That is promising for the future, but Mainoo's game has improved significantly from playing alongside Casemiro. That experience and know-how can be vital for a squad.
United still have some of that in Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, but there is an argument they need a little bit more, especially in the centre of the pitch. From what we know of the club's transfer strategy, that isn't something they seem unduly concerned with.
Carrick did talk about Casemiro and the level of experience he brings towards the end of last season, saying: “Case has had an influence within the group. He’s got huge experience. He’s a big player who has achieved an awful lot in the game."
That is something United have lost, and it doesn't seem like they are that keen to replace it. Perhaps Aurelien Tchouameni would have been able to bring something similar, but the other targets in midfield are considerably younger and many of them will be making a big jump to Old Trafford.
Replacing Casemiro was always going to be difficult, and while United know the kind of player they want, replacing what he brings off the pitch might prove impossible.