Paul Scholes says Casemiro is likely nearing the end of his time at Manchester United and Elliot Anderson would be a ‘really good signing’ to come in and strengthen Ruben Amorim’s midfield.
Casemiro is enjoying his fourth season with United and is arguably playing the best football of his Old Trafford career this term, with the club sitting seventh in the Premier League.
The 33-year-old, who has racked up three goals and an assist in his opening ten top-flight appearances of the campaign, continued his excellent run of form by finding the net in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal at the weekend.
Amorim will be expected to stick with Casemiro in his starting XI when United return to action at home to Everton next Monday night, with the Red Devils looking to further close the gap on the top four.
But while Casemiro appears to have put his struggles last season behind him, there remain question marks over the Brazilian’s future at the Theatre of Dreams, three-and-a-half years after £70million move from Real Madrid.
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Casemiro’s current contract is due to expire next summer and there are currently no concrete talks in place regarding a renewal. However, the presence of a 12-month extension option could see the five-time Champions League winner continue his spell until 2027.
But the veteran midfielder is yet to provide any assurances over his plans going forward and speculation over his future is likely to rumble if a resolution is not found.
It’s understood the former Madrid star – who is attracting strong interest from the Saudi Pro League – may be forced to accept a significant wage-cut if he is to stay on in the north west.
‘He has been a great player and I think he’s actually been better this year than he was possibly last year,’ legendary ex-United midfielder Scholes said of Casemiro on the latest The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
‘I think you’ve got to take his age into account and I think he’ll probably move on after his deal is done.’
Scholes’ long-time United team-mate, Nicky Butt, agreed, chiming in: ‘Yeah, it would make sense to me.’
United invested heavily on new recruits across a busy summer, with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon joining for a combined fee in the region of £220m.
The club had also been keen to bring in a combative central midfieldertowards the end of the transfer window and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba was believed to be firmly on their radar.
But Brighton made it clear Baleba was not for sale and United’s hierarchy have been forced to consider alternatives.
Crystal Palace and England youngster Adam Wharton is understood to have plenty of admirers at Old Trafford and recent reports suggested United were also expressing ‘concrete’ interest in Nottingham Forest’s Anderson.
‘Elliot Anderson is a really good player,’ Scholes said when asked if the Forest man would suit United.
‘Look, I think they need a bit more than Anderson to get to where they want to be, to challenging, but, no, I think he’s a really good player.
‘When he was at Newcastle I thought he was a really good player. I thought he was more of an attacking midfielder and I didn’t see him in this role that he’s playing for England as a number six.
‘But he looks a really good player, I think he’s athletic enough as well and, yeah, I think he would be a really good signing but we’ll see.’
Though Butt agreed Anderson had the potential to become a ‘top, top player’, he argued that United will ‘need a lot more’ if they are to begin challenging for major silverware on a consistent basis again.
‘He’s a good player. I think it’s what the board and the manager wants from a player,’ he explained.
‘To get Manchester United to where they want to be, they need a lot more than just that.
‘But is he better than the ones they’ve got in now? That’s what it always should be, you should always get players that are better than what you’ve got in the building.
‘Looking at what he’s doing now, for me, he looks like potentially a top, top player.’
Reports earlier this month indicated United may have to part with between £100-120m if they are to be successful in prising Anderson away from the City Ground.
The likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have also been linked with the former Newcastle man.
Anderson’s current contract with Forest runs through to June 2029.
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