United’s Casemiro upgrade is clear for all to see in what would be game-changing signing for Amorim – analysis

The state of Manchester United’s midfield is certainly one of the most discussed topics among fans. It is crystal clear that Ruben Amorim sees Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro as his first-choice midfielders, as they have started almost every Premier League game together. What’s more, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte have both fallen down the pecking order and have had to get used to twenty-minute cameos off the bench this season. Nonetheless, Casemiro’s suspension for the match against Villa today means that Amorim is going to have to trust one of his other midfielders for the tough game in Birmingham. Transfer speculation Both Ugarte and Mainoo have been linked with moves away, and Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes’ futures are also unclear beyond this season. Consequently, United have been linked to a plethora of midfield targets such as Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton. Using data from Sofascore, this article will seek to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of all three options as potential replacements for Casemiro in the summer. United already have biggest attacking threat It is clear that Casemiro is well ahead of his competitors in goalscoring ability. The Brazilian has notched four goals this season in the league and is a consistent threat from set pieces. Comparatively, Anderson has scored one goal, with Baleba and Wharton failing to score any. What’s more, Casemiro takes more shots on goal with 0.4 on target per game in comparison to 0.3 for Anderson, 0.1 for Wharton and 0 for Baleba this season. Assists So far, there is not much difference between the players when it comes to assists. Casemiro has one in the Premier League, as does Anderson. Wharton leads the category with two, and Baleba is yet to register an assist in this campaign. Nonetheless, the Crystal Palace midfielder really dominates Casemiro and the rest when it comes to big chances created. Wharton has created seven big chances this season, with Anderson only creating one and Casemiro and Baleba zero. Minutes played Naturally, Anderson and Wharton are capable of playing much longer in matches than the 33-year-old Casemiro. The Nottingham Forest man plays 90 minutes per game and Wharton plays 81, in comparison to Casemiro’s 67. Baleba’s 57 per 90 is very concerning considering he is only 21 years old, but this is due to his decline in form this season in comparison to last. Defending Ultimately, United’s midfield problems, especially in an Amorim system, are centred on how well the engine room can cover ground and track runners. This is where Elliot Anderson dominates. He wins 6.5 ground duels a match in comparison to Casemiro’s 3.2 and Wharton’s 3.5. Baleba is only winning 2.2 this season per match. Anderson can also carry the ball forward much more effectively, completing 1.3 successful dribbles per game, compared to Casemiro’s lowly 0.2. Lack of discipline All in all, disciplinary problems have plagued Casemiro’s time at Old Trafford. In the league, he has five yellow cards, one red card and one yellow-red card. Anderson has only picked up three yellows and Wharton is even more disciplined, collecting just two. Baleba has been cautioned four times. Final take While Casemiro is still the best option for goalscoring, this is not exactly what United need from their midfield. Adam Wharton is head and shoulders above the rest in chance creation, but in terms of winning duels, carrying the ball and eating up ground, Elliot Anderson is the clear candidate to unlock Ruben Amorim’s system. Midfielder comparison PL Season 25/26 PlayerMatchesGoalsBig chances createdGround duels won per matchSuccessful dribbles per match Casemiro15403.20.2 Elliot Anderson16116.51.3 Adam Wharton15073.50.5 Carlos Baleba16002.20.4 Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.