Manchester United need to step up their interest in signing Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat in order to provide strong competition to Casemiro.
The Red Devils started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Monday night.
However, the performance was far from convincing. United registered 15 shots on goal compared to the 23 attempts from the visitors.
Wolves were the better side after the interval, and United’s lack of control in midfield was a key reason behind the dominance from them.
Casemiro has been a fantastic signing since his arrival from Real Madrid last summer, but he had a difficult outing in the curtain-raiser.
The Brazilian played in his customary number six role, but struggled to ascertain control with Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandez in advanced positions.
The 31-year-old made two tackles and five clearances, but his overall display was underwhelming.
He won only three out of 15 duels contested on the night. He was dispossessed 17 times and was dribbled past on four occasions.
It was a forgettable game for the experienced star, but he played through the entire 90 minutes.
In our opinion, United currently lack strong competition for Casemiro in the squad, and they should step up talks to sign Amrabat from Fiorentina.
The Morocco international has already given the green light to join the club, but United need to meet Fiorentina’s request of €30 million to sign him.
The 26-year-old is currently in the prime of his career, and we believe he would be a perfect competitor to Casemiro for the holding midfield role at United.
He is not a tough tackler like the Brazilian, but has splendid distribution skills and better concentration from the centre of the park alongside a good work rate.
Last season, the former Club Brugge midfielder completed 90 per cent of his passes in Serie A. He was dispossessed on just 7.2 occasions per appearance.
Casemiro has earned the right to start for United after a fabulous debut season, but Amrabat’s arrival would ensure that he does not rest on his laurels.
Stats from Sofascore.com