Manchester United may need to start contemplating the sale of midfielder Casemiro this summer following his below-par performance against Luton Town.
The Brazil international has been inconsistent with his displays over the course of the campaign and we saw another glimpse yesterday at Kenilworth Road.
Casemiro struggled to gain control in midfield with the high intensity from the hosts. He won just two out of nine duels, lost possession seven times and was dribbled past twice.
The 31-year-old got himself booked in the 34th minute and was lucky to avoid a sending off before the break. There were no surprises that manager Erik ten Hag took him off.
His substitution saw Kobbie Mainoo take up the number six position with Scott McTominay playing higher up. The teenager was fantastic in controlling possession in tight spaces.
This is something which Casemiro failed to do in the first half and it is an indication that the £70 million signing is no longer in his prime. United should contemplate offloading him.
United are likely to invest on a marquee defensive midfielder. We would personally prefer the club to go for Benfica’s Joao Neves, who has a similar profile to Kobbie Mainoo.
The Portuguese has become a mainstay in Benfica’s XI at just 19. He has caught the eye with his strong tackling, duel-winning success rate and strong distribution skills.
The youngster has also been brilliant with his tireless work rate and ball recoveries. He seems a perfect candidate to replace Casemiro, who could be heading for an exit.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already contemplating the prospect of reduce the huge wage bill by offloading some of the club’s highest earners. Casemiro is seeming at the top of the list.
There are claims that United could release him this summer with a huge pay-off, but we believe the club should wait for proposals, particularly with interest from Saudi Arabia.
There has been talk of interest from Al-Nassr, who could reunite him with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Stats from Sofascore.com
