Manchester United aim to sign new Rice to big-money contract

Unsurprisingly, Casemiro went from being Manchester United’s biggest concern to being arguably one of the most important players at Old Trafford. As it turned out, he wasn’t completely away from football yet.

Now, rather than go down as a disappointing transfer failure, the Brazilian will leave the club as a hero when his contract ends in the summer.

Casemiro, 34, has proven Jamie Carragher wrong, by his own admission, and now has the chance to help Man United return to the Champions League before he leaves.

How Casemiro became a force to be reckoned with at Manchester United

It’s as if Casemiro took Carragher’s previous rant personally and correctly in 2024. It’s as if we were reminded that he is a serial winner who won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and cemented his place in the history books as one of the best midfielders to play for the Spanish giants.

Since then, the 34-year-old has become increasingly important and now irreplaceable under manager Michael Carrick.

But that is about to pose a big problem for INEOS. Man United face the difficult task of finding a replacement this summer for a player many believed was finished at the top level.

Over the past three seasons, Casemiro has adapted his game to have a greater impact in the final third and is now recovering possession at a similar pace to the 2023/24 season.

Importantly, the former Real Madrid man is not being dribbled past as often as he was in the 23/24 season. Circumventing Man United’s midfield is no routine task under Carrick.

Unfortunately, there are still signs that the midfielder is not the player he once was. His tackles this season are about 20 fewer games than last season, despite playing more minutes.

The increased amount of goals for the opposition makes up for it, but the Red Devils and Casemiro are doing the right thing as long as they push to sign Matheus Fernandes this summer, they end up with a good result.

The West Ham United player has been at the center of speculation recently, with Sportsboom claiming that INEOS are now accelerating their move to sign the midfielder, who could be worth as much as £64 million.

Why Fernandes can replace Casemiro

Manchester United’s reinforcements have improved significantly over the past 12 months and signing Fernandes would be another piece of transfer genius, especially if West Ham are underperforming and a cut-price deal becomes available.

The former Southampton man was a key figure in the Hammers’ recent resurgence under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, ultimately filling the void left by Declan Rice.

It took a long time for the Irons 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.

In fact, those numbers tell you everything you need to know about West Ham’s midfield general.

Looking at Fernandes’ ability to break up play, it is easy to see why he is Man United’s dream successor to Casemiro. The West Ham man is excelling where the Brazilian is starting to fail.

Only five midfielders have racked up more tackles than their summer target this season, and he is far from bad in possession, maintaining a higher passing accuracy than Casemiro (87.8%).

£64m is a lot of money for a player who has spent most of the season in the relegation zone, but it is not the first time a top six club has snatched a gem from the bottom three. This is an opportunity Manchester United cannot miss.