Casemiro replacement: Man Utd pushing to sign the new Rice in big-money deal

Credit where it’s due, Casemiro has gone from Manchester United‘s biggest concern to arguably one of the most important players at Old Trafford. As it turns out, the football has not quite left him just yet.

Now, rather than going down as a regrettable transfer flop, the Brazilian is set to leave the club as a departing hero when his contract comes to an end in the summer.

At 34 years old, Casemiro has proved Jamie Carragher wrong – by his own admission – and has the chance to help Man United back into the Champions League before he departs.

How Casemiro became undroppable at Man Utd

It’s as if Casemiro rightly took Carragher’s previous rant personally back in 2024. As if he remembered that he’s a serial winner, who secured three consecutive Champions League wins at Real Madrid and cemented his place in the history books as one of the best midfielders to play for the Spanish giants.

Ever since then, the 34-year-old has become more and more important to the point that he’s now undroppable under Michael Carrick.

But that’s about to present INEOS with a major problem. From a player who many believed was finished at the top level, Man United have got the tough task of finding a replacement this summer.

Over the last three seasons, Casemiro has adapted his game to make a greater impact in the final third and is now recovering possession at a similar rate to the 2023/24 campaign.

Crucially, the former Real Madrid man is also not being dribbled past as often as in the 23/24 season. Under Carrick, bypassing Man United’s midfield is not a routine task.

Alas, there are still signs that the midfielder is not the player he once was. His tackling numbers are down this season by around 20, despite playing more minutes than last season.

Whilst his increased goal output at the other end has made up for that, the Red Devils and Casemiro are doing the right thing by ending on a high as long as they push on to sign Mateus Fernandes this summer.

The West Ham United man has been the centre of speculation of late and, according to Sports Boom, INEOS are now accelerating their move to sign the midfielder, who is worth as much as £64m.

Why Fernandes could replace Casemiro

Man United’s recruitment has significantly improved in the last 12 months and signing Fernandes would represent another piece of transfer genius – particularly if West Ham go down and a cut-price deal is potentially available.

The former Southampton man has been a leading spark in the Hammers’ recent revival under Nuno Espirito Santo, finally filling the void left behind by Declan Rice.

It’s taken the Irons an age to replace the England international, but Fernandes, a ball carrier and physical animal in the middle of the park, looks like the next version of Arsenal’s record signing.

Indeed, a look at the numbers tells you all you need to know about West Ham’s midfield general.

When you look at Fernandes’ ability to break up the play, it is easy to see why Fernandes is Man United’s dream Casemiro replacement. The West Ham man excels where the Brazilian is beginning to fail.

Only five midfielders have won more tackles than the summer target this season and he’s not exactly poor in possession, either – maintaining a better pass accuracy than Casemiro (87.8%).

£64m would be a hefty fee for a player who has spent the majority of the campaign inside the relegation zone, but it wouldn’t be the first time that a top-six club has plucked a gem from the bottom three. It’s an opportunity that Man United simply cannot pass up.

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