‘One of the best in the Champions League’ - €12m star perfect as Man Utd’s Casemiro replacement
Robin Bairner
- 17 Nov 2023 06:52 CST
- 3 min read
Manchester United could soon be in the transfer market for a replacement for Casemiro.
Although the former Real Madrid player looks likely to remain at the club until the end of the season, beyond that the future of the Brazil international looks unclear, with increasing rumours linking him with a move to the Saudi Pro League.
A January switch has not been discounted following a slow start to the season, and if that eventuality were to strike, it would leave Man Utd and manager Erik ten Hag scrambling to find a potential replacement.
MORE: Why sign Krstovic? Ten Hag already has his Weghorst for 2024
One option that is worth examining will doubtless already be on Ten Hag’s radar.
PSV’s Jerdy Schouten has impressed since moving back to the Eredivisie in the summer from Bologna for €12 million, leading to claims that he has been one of the best midfielders in the Champions League this season and that he should be in the Netherlands international team.
“He is one of the best in the Champions League every week,” Youri Mulder, a former Netherlands striker turned pundit for Ziggo Sport said.
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham target Man Utd defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka
This claim is supported by statistics, with data analytics experts SciSports demonstrating that Schouten is one of the best-performing defensive midfielders in the Netherlands this season.
Ten Hag, of course, loves his players from the Eredivisie, while there is unlikely to be a significant pot of money available in January to chase a superstar of the calibre of Casemiro. This puts the player in their potential wheelhouse as someone who could plug a gap.
Interestingly, SciSports also rate Schouten as being marginally superior to Sofyan Amrabat.
So if Schouten is a decent fit for Man Utd, how does Man Utd rate for the player?
Man Utd a promising fit
Using SciSports’ Club Advice tool, the Red Devils are not among the leading options for the player but do come in with a Club Fit score of 72 based upon potential development, playing time, formation and other variables.
One of the big negatives that Schouten faces presently is in terms of his playing time if he were to move to Man Utd. Take Casemiro out of the equation, though, and that changes dramatically and their Club Fit score would rise.
Presently, Neymar’s Al-Hilal are seen as the best move for Schouten, yet Bayern Munich and Newcastle figure in the top-five destinations for the defensive midfielder, suggesting that he has the pedigree to fit into the squad of a world-leading side.
