Man Utd have already sold the perfect Casemiro replacement for just £9m

When Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, Manchester United’s hopes of playing in the Champions League next season were negligible.

But Michael Carrick has made some impactful changes over the past several months, and the Red Devils are now third in the Premier League and on course to finish ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in fifth and sixth. Aston Villa are just one point behind in fourth, but the momentum is with the Old Trafford side and coefficient rankings mean that a top-five finish might do the trick.

Recent reports suggest that Carrick is firmly in place to take the permanent job, but a number of first-team changes are expected, with Casemiro’s departure now seemingly set in stone.

The latest on Casemiro’s Man Utd future

There’s no question that Casemiro has had something of a chequered career in the Premier League, but he’s enjoyed a resurgence this season, having previously looked like he had exhausted his quality as an elite midfielder.

Increasingly important under Carrick’s wing, the Brazil international has played a crucial role in putting things to rights at the Theatre of Dreams and will leave this summer having influenced the team in their bid to return to the Champions League.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Inter Miami have opened talks with Casemiro’s camp as they look to secure the veteran’s signature on a free transfer.

While many at Old Trafford seem to have held onto hope that 34-year-old would pen an extension, it doesn’t look like that will be the case, and United are instead going to have to double down on their efforts to sign a new top-class number six.

However, it’s a bit frustrating that the perfect replacement has already been sold.

Man Utd already sold their Casemiro replacement

Manchester United need to make sweeping changes in the summer transfer market. Casemiro needs replacing, a left-back wouldn’t go amiss and that’s without even getting started on the need for more quality in attacking positions out wide.

With that in mind, James Garner could have been a welcome part of this current crop, had he not been sold to Nottingham Forest for £9m in 2021.

Now a part of Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, Garner was hailed as the Three Lions’ very own “mini Valverde” after the recent draw to Uruguay, his robust and dynamic midfield play making him the perfect

Also said by his Everton manager, David Moyes, to be “one of the Premier League’s best”, Garner has made his mark, growing into the player envisaged during his early days as a Carrington graduate.

In the Premier League for the high-flying Toffees, the 25-year-old has made six assists, created 11 big chances, won 63% of his challenges and averaged three tackles per game. He is, for sure, a midfielder of sufficient quality to play a statement role at Man United over the next several years.

While the door cannot be closed, it doesn’t seem very likely that Garner will take Casemiro’s spot in the coming months. But he would fit the bill, creative, combative and sharply on the rise.

This is one example from a long list of failures in the transfer market over the past decade at Old Trafford. It feels like there’s been a recent shift under INEOS, but another Garner-esque mistake must be avoided if we are to see real, sustainable growth.