Manchester United need a replacement for Casemiro in the summer and the most identical profile of player belongs to Hoffenheim midfielder Wouter Burger.
Casemiro announced he was leaving Manchester United back in January, which has given Ineos plenty of time to scout the market for replacements.
The top priority for Ineos is to overhaul the midfield department and a transfer shortlist has emerged including names such as Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Adam Wharton.
But if United truly want a direct replacement for Casemiro, Hoffenheim’s Wouter Burger has the exact same player profile as the Brazilian.
Gary Neville says Man Utd’s combined fee and wages spend on Casemiro was bad business – Do you agree?
He is upset there is no resale value and he will leave for free
Wouter Burger is ideal Casemiro replacement at Man Utd
As per ScoutLab, the player in Europe’s top five leagues who plays the most similarly to Casemiro is Burger.
When comparing the players’ statistics, including passing, dribbling, shooting and defending metrics, Burger had a 96% similarity to Casemiro’s style of play.
Wouter Burger scouting report
- Position: Central midfielder
- Current club: Hoffenheim
- Age: 25 years old
- Height: 191cm (6ft 3in)
- Top speed: 32.91 km/h
The 25-year-old Bundesliga star has been making impressive strides with Hoffenheim, who are currently pushing for Champions League qualification this season.
Burger is a midfield enforcer who uses his physicality to dominate duels. In the Bundesliga this season, he has won 249 tackles and won 63 aerial duels.
Burger only joined Hoffenheim in 2025 having previously played for Stoke City before. He has a contract with the German club until 2030.
Which Manchester United academy midfielder should be in the first-team next season?
Who is the biggest talent right now?
Ineos prefer Premier League experience to replace Casemiro
While statistics paint Burger as the perfect like-for-like replacement for Casemiro, those metrics are skewed because of the 25-year-old playing in the Bundesliga.
United have had several signings from other European leagues arrive and struggle to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League.
That is why Ineos would prefer a midfielder with Premier League experience to be signed this summer.
Anderson is at the top of the list, while Wharton, Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Carlos Baleba are also on the shopping list.
United are expected to sign two midfielders this summer, so Burger could still make the list, but Ineos will want a high-profile arrival confirmed first.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
