Thursday's infuriating 4-3 defeat to Chelsea underlined the fact that incomings and outgoings must occur at Manchester United.
Over previous seasons, the Red Devils haven’t recruited brilliantly, with multiple high-profile signings, such as Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho, failing to impress.
That said, last summer was rather successful, with Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana already improving the team, despite results stating otherwise – the former having netted a respectable 13 goals in all competitions.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will look to repeat that again at the end of the season, with one target surely being viewed as a replacement for Casemiro.
Man Utd’s midfield search
According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Man United will attempt to complete a midfield overhaul in the summer.
With the new ownership, the Red Devils may raid French side Nice – who are also owned by Ratcliffe and Ineos – with Khephren Thuram the main target to replace the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, having been “discussed” internally.
The midfielder's exit from the Ligue 1 side seems inevitable, as this summer may prove to be the final opportunity for Nice to receive a large fee for him, with his contract expiring in 2025.
This means that a move to United at the end of the season is a possibility, but according to news from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia, he could cost around the £34m mark.
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ByTom Lever How Thuram compares to Casemiro
Unfortunately, the £70m that Man Utd spent on the Brazilian at the start of Ten Hag’s reign seems to be looking like a waste of money, with the club already reportedly looking to get rid of the defensive midfielder.
At 32 years of age, the former Real Madrid player has been largely ineffective this season over his 16 Premier League games, with his performance against Chelsea highlighting that.
Unfortunately, this decrease in form and performance is only set to continue in one direction, and Thuram could just be the key to United’s progress over the Ineos era.
The 23-year-old has featured in 20 French top-flight matches this campaign, where he has proven to be a very well-rounded midfielder who impacts the game at both ends of the field.
Goals
0
1
Touches
55
58
Pass accuracy
84%
85%
Ground duels won
1
6
Tackles
0
6
Clearances
1
3
Dribbled past
2
0
As you can see by the table above showcasing both Casemiro’s and Thuram’s stats from their most recent outing, the differences are clear.
The statistics that stand out instantly are Thuram’s superior defensive ability, with his six tackles blowing Casemiro’s zero out the park, while he’s also much stronger during his individual battles.
Furthermore, although statistics don’t always paint the real picture, Thuram is extremely athletic and physical, with football analyst Ben Mattinson referring to him as a “young Paul Pogba” with more defensive capabilities – an intriguing prospect indeed.
On the ball, Thuram is relatively composed, and his technical ability means he’s best-suited to a role as a box-to-box midfielder rather than a defensive one, as he can also carry the ball with ease, as shown by the clip above – thus illustrating that likeness to his World Cup-winning compatriot, Pogba.
Overall, the French midfielder still has plenty of room for development despite already being a star, which means United won’t just be buying a midfielder for the present but also one for the future.
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