Carlos Henrique Casemiro will not be part of Manchester United’s squad for the 2026/27 season, and Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana is one of the Red Devils’ board’s favourites to fill the void left by the Brazilian.
Although it isn’t clear at this stage whether Michael Carrick will still be Manchester United’s manager next season, the club would not be doing their due diligence if it weren’t at least scouring the market for potential transfer opportunities ahead of the summer.
To date, former captain Carrick has the Red Devils in third place in the Premier League, a healthy six points ahead of major rivals Liverpool, who are currently in fifth, which would qualify them for the Europa League if that’s where they remained.
United running the rule over Onana
With seven games left to play, it’s in United’s own hands as to whether they can remain in the Champions League qualification places or not, and should that situation occur, it would be difficult to see Carrick being eased out of the Old Trafford hot-seat.
One player that definitely won’t be serving under any manager at the Theatre of Dreams next season is Casemiro, after the experienced Brazilian announced that the 2025/26 campaign would be his last at the club.
With that in mind, it’s understood that United have been running the rule over Aston Villa’s defensive midfield powerhouse, Amadou Onana.
The 24-year-old has been a vital part of Unai Emery’s squad since signing from Everton. However, Financial Fair Play rules could dictate that the Villans may have to reluctantly accept an offer from the Red Devils if one is forthcoming.
Marauding runs from deep
Aside from having the peak years of his career ahead of him, what could Onana offer United were he to be acquired? For a player that’s so physically imposing, only seven yellow cards in all competitions since joining Villa is remarkable, and speaks to a firm but fair way of playing.
Seven goals in all competitions is a reasonable enough return, though it’s still shy of Casemiro’s 10 goals and four assists in the same time frame. Whilst not a primary concern, an improvement in this regard is likely necessary.
Certainly, United would want to take advantage of those marauding, powerful runs from deep, which have long since disappeared from the Brazilian’s game.
Only five Villa players have played more than Onana’s 60 games in all competitions over the past two seasons, suggesting there are no question marks over the players’ consistent availability. But at 10 years his senior, Casemiro has played 11 more games during the past two seasons.
Casemiro’s sensational numbers
Onana is also in the Villans’ top six for total passes made (2,056), and his 88.5% success rate is right up there with the best in the squad. As might be expected, too, Onana really comes into his own in terms of one-on-one duels. Though his 457 total contested duels aren’t the most, his 63.9% success is only bettered by Ezri Konsa, who has made almost 100 fewer attempts.
Only Ollie Watkins has attempted more aerial duels than the midfielder’s 134, whilst Youri Tielemans and Matty Cash are the two players to have made more tackles than Onana’s 118.
3,125 total passes from Casemiro is over a thousand more than the Villa man, with a still impressive 81.6% accuracy.
668 total one-on-one duels is over 200 more than Onana attempted, with 56.9% success, whilst Casemiro’s 206 aerial duels (72 more than Onana) have only been bettered at United by Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire.
In every respect, then, the elder statesman has been better than his contemporary, and it brings into sharp focus just how much work Onana would need to do if he wanted to be considered an able replacement for Casemiro.
The pressure of playing for Man Utd
One can’t forget that the Brazilian has been providing such excellence during one of the most difficult recent periods for the club, and under the most intense pressure, too.
The size of Manchester United can’t be understated, and it’s often said that some players aren’t aware of the sheer weight of responsibility that wearing the shirt brings.
Not only would Onana swiftly have to get himself up to a more acceptable level in all aspects of his natural game, but there would be an expectation – given his age and projection – that he would improve upon Casemiro’s numbers and eventually easily surpass them.
Whilst transfer fees can also weigh heavily, it’s not going to be Onana’s fault if Villa want a hefty uplift on the £50 million that they paid for him, though that too could be a heavy burden to bear if things don’t necessarily go according to plan during the early stages of the 2026/27 campaign – should any United interest have resulted in a summer purchase.