Another set-piece goal by Casemiro powered Man Utd’s win against Brentford, and the fear of replacing him is real right now, but Ineos have softened the blow.
Anyone who predicted at the start of the season that Casemiro would be Man Utd’s second-highest goalscorer in the league this season needs to be called a liar.
The Brazilian has become inevitable in the box, scoring his ninth goal of the season against Brentford in Man Utd’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
His eventual departure will sting, but at least Ineos have softened that blow with another masterstroke elsewhere.
If Casemiro wanted to stay one more year – surely you would let him?!
Man Utd will miss Casemiro’s set-piece skills
It’s not a statement you expect to be reading about the impending departure of a defensive midfielder, but Man Utd will miss Casemiro’s goalscoring the most.
They can get progressive passing with Adam Wharton, box-to-box skills with Elliot Anderson, and athleticism with Carlos Baleba, but Casemiro has developed a unique profile.
The way he comes alive in the box when the ball is floated in the air is not a trait any other defensive midfielder in the world has right now.
It is pretty much a given that the goals he’s scoring this season will have to be made up by other players in the Man Utd squad.
There is no other defensive midfielder who can do what he does offensively, so while the others will make some up, they will need some help too.
Therein lies Ineos’ biggest masterstroke that will soothe the blow of losing Casemiro somewhat.
Harry Maguire’s extension slightly makes up for Casemiro exit
Set-pieces are an unavoidable reality of the current Premier League, so Casemiro’s exit could be timed worse for Man Utd.
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Therefore, they needed to keep at least some semblance of an experienced set-piece threat in the squad.
Enter Harry Maguire, who walked the opposite path to Casemiro and extended his contract at Old Trafford for another season, with an option for one more.
Maguire is as close as a player gets to Casemiro’s skill set when the ball is in the air in the box, defensive or offensive.
United simply couldn’t afford to lose their two biggest set-piece threats in the same summer, so once Casemiro’s exit was decided, they needed to finalise a deal for Maguire.
It helps that Maguire has been brilliant even beyond his set-piece mastery, which makes the extension even more of a no-brainer.
It would be unfair to ask Maguire to match Casemiro’s goal tally this season, but if he can even score five across all competitions next season, it would go a long way towards softening the blow of Casemiro’s exit.
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