When Ruben Amorim stood and spoke to a disgruntled Old Trafford arena at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, he promised things would improve at Manchester United.
They had to, right? A 15th-place Premier League finish and defeat in the Europa League final had put a cold dampener on any optimism that might have been eked from Erik ten Hag’s dismissal only in October 2024.
But things are improving. Three wins (including the victory at Anfield) and a draw in the top flight have renewed United’s hopes of getting a foot back through the European door. There’s a long way to go, but many players are standing up where they languished before.
The summer recruits have been impactful, but one of the most intriguing stories of the season is the resurgence of Casemiro.
Casemiro is revived in midfield
Man United probably haven’t received bang for their buck since signing Casemiro from Real Madrid for a fee in excess of £70m in 2022.
The 33-year-old has ebbed and flowed, ebbed and flowed, and the brunt of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher’s infamous monologue toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
But he’s been increasingly influential under Amorim’s wing, with reporter Alex Turk even going as far as to call him “the soul of this team”. He is playing like he’s regained a few years, having won 58% of his duels and averaged two tackles per game (as per Sofascore).
Partly, this is because Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are such mobile and athletic forwards. They will drop into deeper areas and connect with their midfielders, thus limiting the amount of ground the Brazilian veteran needs to cover each game.
Casemiro is becoming undroppable in the engine room, but he pockets a staggering £350k-per-week salary and is out of a deal at the end of the campaign, albeit with an option to extend for a further year.
Sourcing a replacement will not be easy, but Carrington graduate Kobbie Mainoo would fancy his chances, even having played such a paucity of football under the Portuguese tactician’s management.
There may, however, be another academy star looking to wedge his way into the senior set-up.
Man Utd's next Casemiro
Manchester United have long boasted one of the richest and most impressive academy systems in world football. And with Marcus Rashford having divorced from the Theatre of Dreams, it might be that a new homegrown hero is needed to add a dimension to Amorim’s reign.
Well, that player could come in the form of U21 starlet Sekou Kone, who, aged 19, has been enjoying himself in Darren Fletcher’s set-up after leaving Malian side Guidars FC for around £1m plus add-ons in 2024.
The robust, rangy midfielder has not featured this season after a horrific collision suffered against Tamworth in August, but he made 14 appearances for the U21s last term and produced some stunning performances, with scout Antonio Mango even claiming he has the skillset to become “a beast under Amorim”.
Aggressive and powerful, analyst Ben Mattinson has noted that Kone is “uber composed on the ball and so press resistant.” Furthermore, it has been said that he has a tireless engine and a range of skills that could see him play that Casemiro-esque role down the line. Elements of this can be traced back to last season, when he shone for the youth side during a 4-1 loss against Huddersfield.
During that heavy EFL Trophy defeat, he only played 42 minutes before picking up an injury, but made a real impression all the same.
Minutes played
42′
Pass accuracy
82%
Interceptions
2
Ball recoveries
3
Dribbled past
0x
Ground duels won
2/4
Tackle success rate
100%
It’s important to note that Kone has weathered his share of adversity at this early-career stage. He has the minerals to succeed at a great club like the Red Devils, and he has bags of talent besides.
Casemiro may extend his stay at Old Trafford for another year, but he’s getting old and will only last for so long.
15-year-old forward JJ Gabriel has been included in a number of first-team training sessions this season, and Amorim is willing to welcome up-and-coming talents up to the senior fold if he feels they have the right skillset to make a difference.
Kone certainly does at that, and if he manages to find form and fluency over the coming months, there’s every chance that the boss could view him as a left-field option to help fill Casemiro’s big boots.
