Manchester United will be looking for several new midfielders this season, with Casemiro set to leave the club at the end of the season.
“One more year, one more year, Casemiro,” the Stretford End chanted following Manchester United’s 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, in which the Brazilian netted the first goal from a Bruno Fernandes outswinging corner kick.
However, to the dismay of many United fans, Casemiro does seem destined to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, leaving United with a huge hole in the engine room alongside Kobbie Mainoo and behind Fernandes.
Manuel Ugarte would be a candidate to replace Casemiro in the starting lineup, especially if Michael Carrick remains head coach (as he will already be familiar with Ugarte, unlike a new signing), but it seems he could leave the club as well. The former Sporting CP player has been linked with clubs in Turkey ahead of the summer.
Therefore, Director of Football Jason Wilcox will likely enter the market for multiple new defensive midfielders. United have been linked with a five-man Premier League shortlist including Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Amadou Onana, Sandro Tonali and Adam Wharton.
It seems United will also look on the continent for their new midfielder, perhaps reigniting interest in Eduardo Camavinga, who appeared close to joining the club before he signed for Real Madrid.
United enter Camavinga race
Camavinga has started five (played 10) in Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign this season, which has now been extended after a dominant two-leg display against Manchester City. Camavinga played just 16 minutes in the 2-1 win against City on Tuesday evening.
Now, TeamTALK have reported that Camavinga’s agents have begun to brief clubs that the Frenchman will be available during the summer and the club will “allow him to leave”, as they look to begin a rebuild of their own.
Liverpool are said to be leading the race for Camavinga, but United and Chelsea have also registered an “early interest”. However, Camavinga seems highly unlikely to sign for a club outside of the Champions League.
With eight games left to play in the Premier League, United are the most comfortable of the three sides to secure Champions League qualification. The Red Devils are on 54 points, three points clear of fourth-placed Aston Villa and six points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool.
Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool, so it seems at least one of them could be without Champions League. Both could be out of the competition if English clubs perform poorly in the rest of Europe this season, meaning only four clubs would secure Champions League qualification.
Want to stay as up-to-date as possible on the latest Manchester United updates? Add UtdDistrict as a preferred source on Google for news you can rely on.
United must be cautious with Camavinga
Camavinga’s talent is clear for all to see, and his ability to play at left-back only makes him more desireable, but United have to be cautious with any new midfield signing, including Camavinga.
Read More: Manchester United’s stance on Bruno Fernandes has changed as Michael Carrick verdict given
Casemiro has been one of the best players for United since Michael Carrick took charge, and his goals have been crucial since he joined the club under Erik ten Hag.
The new defensive midfielder must have a similar impact to Casemiro – in terms of goal output – or United will seriously struggle to get over the line next season.
Camavinga doesn’t have the same goal threat as Casemiro, with just six goals in 213 Real Madrid appearances, but he is an outstanding defensive midfield option.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.