Amorim admits star signing isn’t Premier League standard, as Man Utd replacement plan emerges

Ruben Amorim has explained why one of the biggest signings Manchester United have made in recent years cannot handle Premier League football, while a pre-deadline exit is on the cards and United’s short-term replacement plan has emerged.

Man Utd have spent more than most in the past few years, with huge fees sanctioned on the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund.

The outlier among those four – at least from an age perspective – is Brazilian veteran Casemiro who was already aged 30 upon arriving at Old Trafford.

As such, the £70m midfielder’s impact at Man Utd was always going to be short-lived and after a stellar first season, the following 18 months have seen Casemiro’s form drop off a cliff.

Casemiro has been used sparingly since Ruben Amorim took charge and the Portuguese manager has all but admitted Casemiro’s time in Manchester is up.

When speaking to TNT Sports Mexico, Amorim attempted to speak about Casemiro diplomatically, though admitted the 32-year-old simply cannot handle the intensity of Premier League football anymore.

“Sometimes it’s a system fit – sometimes it’s the player’s [form],” said Amorim on Casemiro.

“We know that Casemiro nowadays has other qualities. He’s intelligent, understands the game and knows where the ball is going to be.

“But, we are in a league where there is a big intensity difference. Therefore I feel our team needs players with high intensity and sometimes we don’t have them.

“We all know Casemiro’s qualities and everything he has won, so I have nothing to add to that. It’s just a selection choice.”

Casemiro leaving / Man Utd’s short-term replacement plan

Casemiro has the green light to leave and Man Utd would prefer a permanent solution for their top earner. The midfielder pockets a hefty £350,000-a-week and the brutal truth is he’s become a huge drain on the club’s finances.

Man Utd initially set their stall out at £30m amid long-standing interest from Saudi Arabia. Amid a lack of concrete proposals, there has been talk of United lowering their asking price to somewhere in the £15m-£20m range.

A different exit route has opened up in recent days, with Serie A giant Roma showing interest in loaning the Brazilian.

Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio revealed that Roma had now made contact with United over a surprise deal to secure his services. Di Marzio’s colleague in the UK, Melissa Reddy, has provided more details on the prospective deal.

“Casemiro is open to a move to Roma and Manchester United are willing to let him leave on loan before the window closes,” Reddy told Sky Sports.

“United prefer to sell Casemiro on a permanent deal but there have not been any offers of that nature so far.

“Roma had asked for information about Casemiro, according to Sky in Italy.

“They have been doing due diligence on the Brazil midfielder in the event that they need to find a replacement for Leandro Paredes, who is a target for Boca Juniors.”

Back at Old Trafford, Amorim has handed opportunities in the eleven to academy graduate, Toby Collyer, of late.

Collyer is known for his tireless running and made a big impression in United’s 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Europa League last week.

Collyer started that match and has also appeared off the bench in each of United’s last three Premier League matches.

And per The Daily Mail, Collyer – described as ‘a revelation in recent weeks’ – is a growing influence at United and in Amorim’s plans.

United are not expected to sign a central midfielder this window even if Casemiro departs.

As such, it’ll be Collyer who’ll see his minutes increased if Casemiro departs, and he may well see more playing time even if Casemiro stays.

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