Manchester United remain unbeaten under the transformative return of Michael Carrick.
Of course, it was in the Red Devils’ favour that they would get the better of Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, as Spurs occupy an awful 15th spot in the current Premier League standings, in the midst of a terrible run of form.
But, United – under Ruben Amorim – were prone to a poor result in front of Old Trafford masses, even when things were looking up. Just cast your minds back to when the Amorim-led outfit drew 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers to see out 2025.
Thankfully, the mood has completely changed under the interim reign of Carrick, as the Red Devils ran out convincing 2-0 victors, to collect a fourth straight Premier League win, for the first time since the bumpy days of Erik ten Hag.
While Bruno Fernandes would rightly steal most of the plaudits come the full-time whistle, with a ridiculous six big chances created next to his name, alongside scoring the game-clinching second, Casemiro was a classy act again versus the visitors from North London, as he continues to have a late renaissance in Manchester.
The numbers behind Casemiro’s renaissance
It feels like an awfully long time ago now since Casemiro was being rejected as a has-been in the Premier League by the likes of Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.
With confidence now clearly coursing through United’s veins, the former Real Madrid superstar has started to show off his pedigree again as a calm and controlled performer, when he was once pushed out of the starting XI for weeks at a time by Amorim.
Notably, the ice-cold Brazilian was a cut above from the midfield positions against Fulham at the start of February, with a no-look pass teeing up Matheus Cunha for United’s second goal of the game, after Casemiro, himself, broke the deadlock.
Against Arsenal and Manchester City, too, the 33-year-old didn’t look leggy whatsoever, considering he is deep into the twilight years of his extensive career, winning eight duels to ensure that Carrick’s men upset the top two in the Premier League.
For Casemiro’s sake, he will just be glad he is going to be exiting the Theatre of Dreams on a high. They will, however, need to find a replacement.
Man United’s in-house Casemiro replacement
Of course, it’s not just Casemiro who will be leaving come the end of the season, with Carrick also on his way out, when his short-term duties as manager expire. If he can keep up this red-hot form, though, he will surely be in conversations to be the permanent option, post-Amorim.
It’s not just the South American veteran who has sparked into life under the newfound positivity of the Englishman, though, with the ostracised Kobbie Mainoo under the previous regime also looking like a different animal in the midfield ranks, next to Casemiro.
It could well be that United don’t have to splash the cash on a figure like Elliot Anderson or Carlos Baleba to replace Casemiro effectively, with the 20-year-old sticking out as an equally classy, yet steely midfield operator this February so far against Spurs and Fulham.
His performances have been so standout as of late that he’s beginning to live up to the hype again that was once dished out to him by journalist Alex Turk, that he’s a “£100m plus footballer” in the making, and certainly a character who could fill the void left behind by Casemiro’s departure.
|
Mainoo’s improved performances |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
vs Fulham |
vs Spurs |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
90 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
1 |
|
Touches |
71 |
100 |
|
Accurate passes |
42/49 (86%) |
79/84 (94%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
4 |
|
Ball recoveries |
4 |
4 |
|
Tackles won |
1/4 |
1/2 |
|
Duels won |
6/8 |
8/14 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
||
Mainoo was unbelievably composed with the ball at his feet against Frank’s men, with a 94% pass accuracy averaged from his 100 touches of the ball. He was at the heart of the clever corner kick routine that saw Bryan Mbeumo open the scoring, too, with the homegrown youngster surely delighted to pick up just his second goal contribution of the campaign.
But, he can also battle and compete when needed, with a bruising 14 duels won in both home victories, to back up Carrick’s faith in him. He has been such a revelation under Carrick that BBC Sport reporter Simon Stone has now labelled Amorim’s decision to shove him out of the senior side as “ridiculous.”
At just 20 years of age, it’s clear that he can be a long-term solution to Casemiro leaving the building, having further been dubbed a midfield “maestro” of the highest order previously by Statman Dave.
It’s just whether United put all their faith in Mainoo to continue to come good next season, with the midfield makeover set to take place at the Theatre of Dreams in the off-season going down as a fascinating watch.
£56m Man Utd star is now the “best player in the league” under Carrick
This Man Utd ace shone in their 2-0 win vs. Spurs
