Better than Rice & Rodri: €30m Man Utd star has more successful defensive actions than PL duo
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has had a difficult second season due to multiple injuries, but he remains a key player in the first-team squad.
The Brazil international has been a regular starter under manager Erik ten Hag when fit and his importance has been showcased by a key statistic.
According to DataMB, the 32-year-old has managed 14.5 successful defensive actions per 90 – the highest for any midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues.
His statistics are higher than Manchester City’s Rodri and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, and United will be hoping that he can be fit after the international break.
The former Real Madrid man picked up a minor hamstring injury prior to the FA Cup quarter-final and it is left to be seen whether he will be fit for the restart.
Meanwhile, United are still likely to look for a replacement for Casemiro this summer.
The €30 million-rated ace has been solid defensively for the club, but there is still room for improvement when it comes to ball control and possession retention.
Casemiro has lost possession almost 11 times per appearance. He has had a passing accuracy of only 83 per cent in his 15 Premier League starts for United.
The club need someone who is more composed with the ball at his feet. The club have been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes recently.
However, we don’t believe he would be much of an upgrade. In our view, the Red Devils should make an ambitious move to sign Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves.
Stats from Sofascore.com