12/15 duels won, 8 recoveries: £100m star shows why Man Utd want to purchase him with "Rolls-Royce" display
Manchester United are likely to sign a marquee defensive midfielder later this year.
The Red Devils have already been linked with several high-profile names. Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson is reportedly one of the top candidates on their radar.
The 23-year-old has earned plenty of plaudits for his performances this campaign. He produced another fabulous display during the goalless Premier League draw against Arsenal on Saturday.
The England international won an impressive 12 out of 15 duels with a 100 percent aerial success rate (5/5). He also made eight recoveries, two interceptions, one clearance and one tackle.
Shortly after the goalless stalemate at the City Ground, Forest manager Sean Dyche described Anderson as a ‘Rolls-Royce’ and in our view, he would be an ideal replacement for Casemiro.
Looking at his season statistics, the Newcastle United graduate has a passing accuracy of 86 percent, which is quite good for a team that command less possession than most in the league.
Anderson has also won a stunning eight duels per game with 2.7 tackles and 8.4 recoveries on average.
The Forest star has similar traits to Casemiro with his strong defensive attributes, but he would be an upgrade on the experienced Brazilian ace due to his better mobility and high pressing.
Casemiro’s current £300,000 per week deal expires at the end of the campaign, but the 33-year-old can trigger a 12-month clause by himself if he makes the starting XI in 35 games this term.
He has so far made 19 starts and will need to start the remaining 16 matches this campaign to activate the clause, which seems unlikely to happen, given his fitness and disciplinary record.
The Brazilian is no longer in the prime of his career and could suffer a possible niggle. He is already on five yellow cards and could get suspended for two games if he were to pick up another five bookings in his next 10 appearances.
It seems unlikely that Casemiro will be ever-present in the starting line-up. The hierarchy could themselves prevent the prospect in order to avoid paying his hefty wages for another 12 months.
Anderson would be the perfect replacement for Casemiro in the summer, but he won’t come on the cheap. United may need to spend at least £100 million to prise him away from the Tricky Trees.
The Red Devils could secure a discount if Forest were to be relegated to the Championship.
Stats from Sofascore.com
Article written by Sri Aswin .