Man Utd in talks to sign one of “the world’s best CMs”

“Manchester United lives in my heart”.

The affection that the departing Casemiro has for the club and its fanbase is genuinely heartwarming, with a player who was no doubt perceived to be pursuing a final payday having embraced life at Old Trafford to its fullest.

The Brazilian, speaking to Rio Ferdinand this week, spoke openly of his love for the loyal home support, with that view certainly reciprocated, as the cries of ‘one more year, Casemiro’ have made clear.

Up to nine Premier League goals for the season now, the £70m man will take some replacing this summer, with the recent trip to Sunderland outlining the regression that so often occurs in his absence.

Man Utd have been in talks over signing wildcard Casemiro replacement

The four occasions in which Casemiro hasn’t started this season have all seen United fail to win, the 34-year-old having been so influential following his resurgence under both Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick.

In need of a successor, the Red Devils are likely to look toward Premier League-proven options first and foremost, with reports earlier this week indicating that interest is being ramped up in West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes.

The same is also true of Atalanta’s Ederson, with the interest in the Brazilian showcasing that INEOS will also look further afield for a successor to his compatriot.

That can be seen amid the club’s parallel interest in Sporting CP star, Morten Hjulmand, with Caught Offside revealing that both United and Arsenal are in the mix for the Dane’s signature.

According to the report, the Gunners have already held talks regarding a possible deal, although the suggestion is that so too have INEOS, having already ‘asked’ to be ‘kept informed’ regarding the midfielder’s future.

The suggestion is that while Hjulmand does have an €80m (£70m) release clause in his current contract, negotiations could begin at closer to €60m (£52m) this summer.

Why Hjulmand is comparable to Casemiro in his prime

For all his brilliance this season and most notably in his debut season in Manchester, it’s fair to say that with Casemiro having arrived at United at the age of 30, supporters never truly saw him in his pomp.

Back at Real Madrid, he emerged as one of the leading defensive midfielders of his generation, forming part of a famed triumvirate alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

In all, he swept to five Champions League titles at the Bernabeu, hailed at one stage by international teammate, Neymar, as the “best defensive midfielder in the world“.

Hjulmand, operating outside of Europe’s top five leagues at present, isn’t in that category just yet, although in the view of analyst and Como scout, Ben Mattinsonhe “can sit amongst some of the best midfielders in the world”.

As Mattinson noted, like Casemiro in his pomp, the Denmark star is the “complete midfielder“, boasting the “ideal combination of tenacity off the ball in the tackle, anticipation, vertical passing and ball-striking”.

The man who succeeded Manuel Ugarte in Lisbon, Hjulmand has been such a force in his number six berth, averaging three tackles and interceptions per game this season, while winning 67% of his total duels and 71% of his aerial duels.

For comparison, that record compares favourably to what Casemiro recorded in LaLiga in 2016/17, for instance, the year he scored in the Champions League final, having won 57% of his total duels and 63% of his aerial duels, albeit while averaging a mammoth 5.7 tackles and interceptions on average.

That season saw the Brazilian score and assist four goals in LaLiga, while Hjulmand has chipped in himself this time around, registering six goals and assists in Liga Portugal.

Just as Casemiro showed both at Madrid and now in Manchester, Hjulmand isn’t a mere ball-winner; he offers a real sense of progression in possession too, regularly looking to pick out those ahead of him.

Indeed, while boasting a stellar 91% pass accuracy rate, he has also averaged 1.1 key passes per game, providing a real creative threat from his role in the midfield pivot.

Casemiro never truly had the freedom at the Bernabeu, but has had greater creative licence of late for United, boasting his own average of one key pass per game in the Premier League this season.

Like Casemiro at his best, Hjulmand is a real anchor in midfield, the player who can break up play, but also has the composure and poise to be able to thrive when in possession.

Indeed, this is no Ugarte 2.0, ensuring INEOS should certainly have the Sporting leader among their priority targets heading into this summer.