“Manchester United lives in my heart.”
The love that the departing Casemiro has for the club and its fan base is truly heartwarming, especially considering that a player who was undoubtedly chasing his final payday is now making the most of his time at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand this week, the Brazilian spoke candidly about his love for the loyal support in his home country. That perspective certainly paid off, as the cries of “One more year, Casemiro” made clear.
Casemiro’s career results | ||
|---|---|---|
team | game | Goal (assist) |
madrid | 336 | 31(29) |
manchester united | 159 | 26(14) |
sao paulo | 111 | 11(15) |
porto | 41 | 4 (3) |
madrid castilla | 15 | 1 (0) |
total | 662 | 73(61) |
Brazil | 84 | 8(4) |
The £70million man, who has scored as many as nine goals in the Premier League this season, will be replaced this summer, but his recent trip to Sunderland outlines the regression that often occurs in his absence.
Manchester United are in talks to replace wildcard Casemiro
United have failed to win in each of the four times Casemiro has not started this season, but the 34-year-old has been a huge influence since his resurgence under Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick.
In need of a successor, the Red Devils are likely to focus more on proven Premier League options than anything else, with reports earlier this week indicating increased interest in West Ham United’s Matheus Fernandes.
The same applies to Atalanta’s Ederson, and the interest in the Brazilian shows that INEOS will look further afield for their compatriot’s successor.
This is evidenced by the club’s parallel interest in Sporting CP star Morten Ulmand. The offside catch has revealed that both United and Arsenal are on the list of candidates to sign the Dane.
According to reports, the Gunners are already in talks over a potential deal, with INEOS also “asking” to be “kept informed” about the midfielder’s future, with some suggesting the same may be the case.
Hjormand’s current contract has a release clause of €80m (£70m), but there are indications that talks could begin this summer for closer to €60m (£52m).
Why Yulmando is comparable to Casemiro in his prime
Despite his brilliance this season, and particularly in his debut season in Manchester, it’s fair to say that supporters never really got to see Casemiro in his full stature as he joined United at the age of 30.
Upon his return to Real Madrid, he emerged as one of the leading defensive midfielders of his generation, becoming part of the famous triumvirate alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
He won a total of five Champions League titles with the Bernabéu and was once hailed by his national teammate Neymar as “the best defensive midfielder in the world”.
Currently playing outside of Europe’s top five leagues, Yulmand is not yet in that category, but in the opinion of analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, he “could be among the best midfielders in the world”.
As Mattinson pointed out, like the imposing Casemiro, the Danish star is a “complete midfielder”, boasting “an ideal combination of tenacity in off-the-ball tackling, predictive power, vertical passing and attacking the ball”.
Having replaced Manuel Ugarte in Lisbon, Hulmando has been a force to be reckoned with in the number six spot, averaging three tackles and interceptions per game this season, winning 67% of his total duels and 71% of his aerial duels.
For comparison, this record compares favorably with Casemiro’s La Liga record in 2016/17, the year he scored in the Champions League final, winning 57% of his total duels and 63% of his aerial duels, while averaging an impressive 5.7 tackles and interceptions.
That season, the Brazilian scored four goals and provided an assist in La Liga, while Yulmando stepped up this time as well, scoring six goals and assisting in Portugal’s La Liga.
As Casemiro showed in Madrid and now in Manchester, Yurmand is more than just a ball winner. He has also improved in possession and is constantly targeting the players in front of him.
In fact, he boasts an excellent passing accuracy of 91%, as well as completing an average of 1.1 key passes per game, providing a real creative threat from his role as the lynchpin of the midfield.
Casemiro was never truly free at the Bernabéu, but he has shown more creative flair of late at United, averaging one key pass per game in the Premier League this season.
Like Casemiro at his best, Yurmand is a real anchor in midfield, a player who can break up play but also has the composure and composure to thrive when in possession.
In fact, this is no Ugarte 2.0 and INEOS should definitely have the Sporting leader among their priority targets for this summer.
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