Erik ten Hag asked Manchester United to sign him a central midfielder from one of the top sides in La Liga this summer. But instead of landing Frenkie de Jong, it looks like the arrival of Casemiro is a lot more likely to happen.
United insist a move for De Jong is not dead, but there is a general acceptance that if a deal for the Real Madrid midfielder can be agreed instead, then the pursuit of the Dutchman will no longer be financially viable this year.
The fact that United see Casemiro as a midfield alternative so late in the window highlights their scattergun approach, and although he would address the team’s need for a defensive midfielder, it begs the question of who actually wants him.
READ MORE: United advancing with possible Casemiro transfer
To go from De Jong, a player trained on the Total Football mantra of Johan Cruyff, to Casemiro, a no-nonsense mediator in midfield, is like going to rehome a Labrador and coming home with a Rottweiler instead. It’s hard to see how he was ever a like-for-like alternative.
Casemiro would still be a huge improvement on the options already at United and would by no means be a bad addition to their squad, but at the age of 30, it once again raises a question about the long term plan, or rather, the lack of it.
In a similar vein to the addition of Nemanja Matic back in 2017, United would be getting a clear short-term improvement for their side but a player who would then likely need to be replaced in another two or three seasons' time.
Ten Hag’s need for an immediate improvement makes this a justifiable acquisition in order to ease the pressure after a dire start to the season, though it is certainly a reactionary move, having failed to sign De Jong or Adrien Rabiot.
United must also realise there is a reason why Real Madrid are selling Casemiro too. A year ago, the move for Raphael Varane seemed like a master stroke, but his subsequent injury issues have shown that the La Liga champions knew he had a limited shelf life and it was better to sell him and reinvest their money. They sold the Frenchman for £42million and offset his sale with David Alaba on a free last year and Antonio Rudiger this year as well.
This summer they will be happy to sell Casemiro because they have already begun their midfield regeneration project with the signing of Eduardo Camavinga last year and Aurelien Tchouameni this year.
His potential departure also comes at a time when current teammate Federico Valverde is now playing at a high level, having learned his trade from the Brazil international, limiting the need to keep him.
That is a perfect demonstration of how to replace a departing player. Madrid signed one hopeful last summer and gave him a year to adapt, and added another this summer, who subsequently has far less pressure to hit the ground running.
United had looked into the possibility of moves for Camavinga and Tchouameni, but instead of signing two of the brightest young talents in European football, they are instead trying to sign the veteran they have replaced.
Casemiro is an upgrade for United, but he isn’t the long-term solution. If they had a plan, they might have realised that.
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