Managing a football club, particularly one the size of Manchester United, is incredibly difficult because you need to make decisions that line up with the short, medium, and long-term goals that are in place.
For example, it would be hard for the Red Devils to heavily lean on a strategy of signing incredibly young players with potential, with the hope that they turn into a top team in the future, because supporters expect results in the short-term, and rightly so.
This means that INEOS and Ruben Amorim have to be very careful with their squad planning to ensure that there is a competitive team on the pitch in the present, whilst also having a group of players who are for the future as well.
So far this season, United have been competitive on the pitch. They are seventh in the Premier League after 11 matches, with five wins, and are currently unbeaten in five games after their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last time out.
One of the players who has been instrumental in the short-term success on the pitch, but is not one for the future, is the incredibly experienced Casemiro.
The Brazil international has been in fantastic form in the Premier League so far this season for the Red Devils, and they need to consider what they will do in the medium to long-term in his position.
Why Man Utd need to find a replacement for Casemiro
Manchester United need to identify their long-term successor to Casemiro because his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and he turns 34 in February.
The Red Devils need to make sure that his replacement is a top-quality one, as the former Real Madrid star has been in impressive form for the club alongside Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park.
Casemiro is already one goal away from his Premier League career-high after netting three goals in ten starts in the division so far, with strikes against Nottingham Forest, Brighton, and Chelsea.
Along with his impressive output at the top end of the pitch, the 33-year-old star has been one of the best midfielders in the division in a host of key defensive metrics.
Non-penalty goals
0.44
Top 1%
Assists
0.15
Top 22%
Tackles
3.22
Top 9%
Tackles + interceptions
3.96
Top 18%
Dribblers tackled
1.46
Top 14%
Blocks
1.76
Top 9%
Aerial duels won
2.20
Top 11%
As you can see in the table above, Casemiro ranks highly among his positional peers in the Premier League for tackles, interceptions, blocks, and aerial duels won.
These statistics illustrate why it is important for the Red Devils to find the player who can play in that position in the mid-to-long term, as the Brazilian star may not be at Old Trafford next season.
The only other ‘natural’ defensive midfielder in the squad is Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte, but he has failed to prove his quality since a £42m move from PSG last year.
After the Manchester derby in September, Gary Neville said the midfield is a “massive problem” and that Ugarte is “not good enough”, which speaks to the feeling around his performances for the club over the past 18 months.
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With this in mind, Manchester United could save millions of pounds by unleashing one of their stars in a different position, so that they will not need to splash the cash on a replacement for Casemiro and an upgrade on Ugarte.
Central defender Lisandro Martinez has been back in full training in recent weeks after suffering an ACL injury in February, and he could be a wildcard replacement for Casemiro.
Why Lisandro Martinez could be Man Utd's Casemiro replacement
The Argentina international has been away from the action for nine months because of his long-term injury, but he could be the answer to the club’s mid-to-long-term issues in the defensive midfield position.
Per Transfermarkt, all 89 of his appearances for United have come at centre-back or left-back, with 85 in the heart of the defence, which shows that he has not played as a holding midfielder for the club yet.
However, the left-footed star did start 22 matches as a defensive midfielder during his time with Ajax, before his £48.3m move to Old Trafford, and this means that he does have experience in that role.
Even whilst playing as a centre-back, Martinez has shown qualities that suggest that he would excel in midfield. Take the clip above, for example, as he wins the ball back in the opposition half and holds a high position to break into the box to score a wonderful goal.
The Argentine star would have even more opportunities to pull off plays like that as a defensive midfielder, whilst it would also mean that his lack of aerial prowess would be less exposed, as he has won 55% of his aerial duels or lower in all three of his Premier League seasons, per Sofascore.
Shot-creating actions
1.34
Top 13%
Pass accuracy
89%
Top 35%
Progressive passes
6.01
Top 11%
Progressive carries
1.18
Top 16%
Key passes
0.46
Top 12%
Passes into the penalty area
0.93
Top 2%
xA
0.07
Top 6%
As you can see in the table above, Martinez excelled with the ball at his feet in the top-flight last term, ranking highly among centre-backs in a host of progressive metrics.
Como scout Ben Mattinson once claimed that the centre-back “could become a world class DM”, and it is easy to see why when you couple his natural defensive instincts with his technical quality in possession.
Ugarte, for example, has averaged only 3.08 progressive passes and 0.81 progressive carries per 90 in the last 365 days for United, per FBref, which suggests that Martinez would offer more than he has in possession in the middle of the park.
With his prior experience in the position, time left ahead of him to develop further at 27, and his relevant attributes for the role, Martinez could be the dream long-term successor to Casemiro at Old Trafford.
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