Roma's Manu Kone is the best Casemiro replacement for Manchester United

Casemiro’s departure has re-ignited one of the most powerful transfer narratives in football - 'Manchester United need a new central midfielder'.

The list is endless, as is the speculation.

And throw in the fact United could also be in the market for an upgrade on Manuel Ugarte - and the picture can become confused.

So, as Casemiro prepares for an emotional goodbye at Old Trafford on Sunday against Nottingham Forest, the MEN and Machine Football's data analysis cuts through all the rumours to identify the most suitable candidates to replace the Brazilian.

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Manu Koné, AS Roma: The best match (£58m)

The Machine Football model’s preferred option is Manu Koné, from Serie A side Roma.

At 24, the French midfielder ranks in the top 10% of European midfielders for ball recoveries and the top 15% for progressive passing — a combination rarer than it sounds.

Most players who win the ball do not immediately hurt the opposition with it. Koné does.

He moves quickly from defensive actions into forward progression, a trait that suits possession-oriented systems and one that would align naturally with the style United appear keen to move towards under Michael Carrick.

The model classifies Koné as a Hybrid 8 – a reliable all-round midfielder capable of balancing defensive work with ball progression in transitional systems and, more importantly, the same core profile the model assigned to Casemiro at his peak.

Koné will not reproduce Casemiro’s peak creative output, but the model suggests his hybrid profile - capable of both defending and helping construct attacks - is the closest overall match currently available on the market.

The bigger issue is cost. The model values Koné at €66.7million (£58m), meaning United would need to decide whether his long-term upside justifies paying close to a premium fee.

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Amadou Onana, Aston Villa: The physical replacement (£48.5m)

If United want to preserve the physical and aerial side of Casemiro’s game, the model points strongly towards Amadou Onana.

Under Unai Emery, Onana has developed into one of the Premier League’s most imposing midfielders.

His tackling and aerial numbers both rank highly (within the top 20% of defensive midfielders in the Premier League), giving him many of the physical traits that made Casemiro so dominant at his peak.

The question is what happens in possession.

The model suggests Onana functions best alongside a technically secure midfielder capable of handling progression and distribution responsibilities. At United, Kobbie Mainoo appears the obvious partner.

On paper, the pairing makes sense.

Mainoo is an elite ball-carrier and highly secure passer under pressure, while Onana would provide the physicality, and aerial presence United risk losing with Casemiro gone.

But the chemistry projection between them is surprisingly low.

The model flags concerns over how the partnership functions structurally rather than individually, suggesting the combination may not complement each other as naturally as expected.

Onana solves the physical problem. Whether he solves the midfield balance is less certain.

João Gomes, Wolves: The safe option (£46m)

João Gomes is probably the most attainable player on this list - and is already being linked with clubs like Atletico Madrid. In a disastrous season for Wolves, he has remained one of their few bright sparks.

His defensive numbers are particularly strong, especially for tackling and ball recoveries, where he ranks among the top 20% of Premier League midfielders in both metrics.

United would not be losing anything defensively with him, and his profile as a midfielder who covers ground and plays with intensity fits the archetype of a player capable of shielding a back four competently.

The concern is whether that profile scales effectively into a Champions League-level side.

At Wolves, Gomes operates in a team that spends long periods defending deep and playing without sustained possession.

United would ask something very different from their holding midfielder – progressing play under pressure, controlling tempo, and contributing consistently against deep defensive blocks.

His creative metrics fall noticeably below the other options on this list, ranking within the bottom 30% for Premier League midfielders, and there are legitimate doubts over how much value he adds once his team becomes the dominant side in possession.

Gomes’ predictive cohesion score reflects that concern, with the 25-year-old failing to form any elite-level connections with potential teammates in Carrick's projected system – a result of his disappointing creativity figures.

He is a sensible option, but whether he is the right one to replace Casemiro is another question entirely.

If United were to sign him, it would make more sense to interpret it as competition for a player more like Kobbie Mainoo – a signing that adds depth and defensive security without necessarily raising the technical ceiling of the side.

READ MORE : Michael Carrick tells Manchester United fans what they want to hear about Casemiro

Éderson, Atalanta: The potential alternative (£30M)

Interestingly, one of the club’s alternatives to Gomes may actually project as a more natural replacement for Casemiro altogether – Atalanta and Brazil midfielder Éderson.

The 26-year-old shares the same Hybrid 8 profile as United’s departing midfield veteran – the same classification also assigned to Manu Koné, albeit with Éderson coming at a significantly lower projected cost of €34.6m (£30m).

What makes Éderson particularly intriguing is the balance within his profile.

He ranks in the top 5% of defensive midfielders for creativity while also placing within the top 10% for tackling, closely mirroring the all-round nature that defined Casemiro at his peak.

Éderson combines defensive intensity with the ability to progress attacks quickly after regaining possession, making him capable of contributing across multiple phases of play rather than functioning as a purely destructive midfielder.

In that sense, if Gomes were to move elsewhere, Éderson may actually represent the more like-for-like successor to Casemiro as part of the midfield rebuild.

Petar Sučic, Inter Milan: The 'wildcard' technical option (£41.5m)

Petar Sučić is the wildcard name on this list, but arguably the most technically gifted.

The Croatian excels at progressing play from deep, controlling possession, and playing through pressure in ways more defensively-oriented midfielders often cannot.

Technically, the fit is obvious. The question is whether he possesses the physical tools required to excel in United’s midfield.

Sučić does not offer the aerial dominance or physical control that defined so much of Casemiro’s game. Machine Football’s league-weighting system - which measures projected performance drop-offs between Europe’s top leagues and England - suggests those weaknesses could become even more exposed in the Premier League.

To a lesser extent, the same concern exists with Koné, although his stronger defensive athleticism and ball-winning profile make the projection significantly safer overall.

United would likely need to compensate for Sučić’s weaknesses structurally, particularly defensively and at set pieces.

Despite that, in the right structure, Sučić could become an outstanding possession midfielder.

The uncertainty is whether the current United squad is stable enough to support that profile consistently across a full Premier League and Champions League campaign.

Aur élien Tchouaméni: Elite but too defensive? (£63m)

If there is one player who genuinely resembles the complete version of Casemiro, it is Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The model rates him among the best midfielders in the world across multiple roles — defensively dominant, strong in possession, and highly creative.

His tackling, ball recoveries, passing, and creativity all rank at elite levels globally.

However, despite those outstanding individual attributes, the model does raise some concerns around how naturally he would integrate into Carrick’s projected setup at United.

When analysing his predicted cohesion within the system, there is a noticeable imbalance between his relationships with the defensive line and the forward line.

The model projects much stronger connections deeper in the structure, despite Tchouaméni possessing the creative profile to influence attacks more heavily.

One possible explanation is his positional usage at the Bernabéu this campaign.

The Frenchman has frequently been deployed at centre-back this season rather than consistently in midfield, which may have subtly altered the way he progresses play and interacts with attacking phases.

A return to a permanent midfield role could eventually restore those tendencies, but if United were to pursue him, the model suggests there may still be an adaptation period.

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