Man Utd eyeing “frightening” Casemiro replacement who’s like Pogba

Over the years, Manchester United have produced some truly fantastic players in their famed Carrington academy. However, they have a special knack for producing some of the most talented midfielders in football history.

This dates right back to the Busby Babes, when one of the most exciting players, Duncan Edwards, played 177 times for the first team, before tragically passing away in the Munich Air Disaster.

The likes of Paul Scholes, one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game, also came through United’s academy. Scholes was part of the legendary Class of ‘92, along with the likes of Gary Neville and David Beckham.

The former England international played 716 times for United, scoring 155 goals and assisting 81, but he was much more than that. Scholes was a master on the ball and had the most spectacular passing ability, able to pick passes most players can’t even see.

Most recently, Kobbie Mainoo is the midfielder breaking into United’s first team. Though only 19 years old, he has played 28 games for the Red Devils this season and has not looked out of place once. He seems set to go to Euro 2024 with England in the summer.

However, there is one Carrington midfielder who has had two spells at United, who splits opinion as to whether he was a success at Old Trafford or not.

Paul Pogba’s time at Man Utd

The player in question here is World Cup winner Paul Pogba. The former United man is currently serving a suspension for taking a banned substance, although he is contracted to Juventus, after returning for free two summers ago.

Pogba’s time at United certainly causes debate as to whether he was worth the money they spent to resign him in 2016, a then-world record fee of £89m. The midfielder’s 233 games for the club, which included seven in his first spell, yielded 39 goals and 48 assists, as well as two trophies, the Europa League and the Carabao Cup.

Despite his large fee and his output, there is little disputing Pogba’s pure grace and elegance as a midfielder. Sadly, he was often been misprofiled and played as a number six, yet in reality, his best actions all came further up the pitch.

He played his best football at United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, playing 101 times for him, scoring 17 goals and assisting 23. He often played on the left wing later in the Norweigan’s reign and thrived in that role.

Pogba is one of the silkiest dribblers of the modern day, despite his tall frame, which was actually a benefit, helping him shift defenders away from him with ease. According to Fbref, he averaged 48.16 carries per 90 minutes in the 2020/21 Premier League season, ranking him in the top 14% of midfielders.

Not only that, the Frenchman is sublime with the ball at his feet, capable of playing 50 or 60-yard passes which always find its desired target. In the same season, Pogba played 1.95 switches per 90 minutes, which ranked him in the top 1%, and played 6.26 final third passes per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 13%.

Aerially, the former United man is superb, and that season, won 2.61 aerial duels per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 4%, as well as making 7.02 ball recoveries per 90 minutes. Whilst the defensive side of his game is not as good as the attacking side, he is still a more than capable defender, and his height is part of the reason why he was shoehorned into playing as a number 6.

Sadly, United have never really replaced Pogba, yet a midfielder of his profile is what is missing from their squad. However, the answer could well lie in the Bundesliga 2, Germany’s second division, namely Assan Ouedraogo.

Man Utd eyeing Pogba-like Casemiro replacement

According to Sky Sports in Germany, United have “scouted him from abroad for the game against Düsseldorf”, meaning there is certainly an interest there.

They would no doubt face competition from other clubs for Ouedraogo, with the likes of Atalanta, VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and TSG Hoffenheim also thought to be interested.

Should United wish to bring Ouedraogo to the club this summer, they would have to pay a fairly nominal fee, specifically £17.1m. According to reporter Florian Plettenberg, the youngster has a release clause of this value in his contract.

What makes Ouedraogo so good

Ouedraogo is a 17-year-old midfielder currently playing for German giants Schalke. He has impressed in his debut season of professional football, playing 15 times, scoring and assisting twice each.

Like Pogba, he is a lanky midfielder, yet graceful on the ball. He was described by football analyst Ben Mattinson on X as a “frightening” player who is a “great ball carrier” with “quick feet for someone standing at 191cm”.

According to Fbref, Ouedraogo averages 2.18 progressive carries per 90 minutes, and 1.03 carries into the final third per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 15% and 3% amongst midfielders respectively. He is also good in the air, with an average aerial duel win rate of 1.41 per 90 minutes, which places him in the 77th percentile.

As far as Pogba replacements go, perhaps Manchester United should look no further, given their extremely similar skills. However, the Red Devils might well consider this summer the ideal time to replace Casemiro, who looks a shadow of his former self.

The German youngster could well prove to be the replacement for Casemiro if the Brazilian leaves. Indeed, if United decide to sign him with this in mind, they must be careful though.

As Mattinson explained Ouedraogo has a “similar profile” to Pogba, Kephram Thuram and Ryan Gravenberch, explaining those three are “players who are mis-profiled as a six due to their physical prowess and height but actually are best as advanced eights”.

As such, if United did purchase Ouedraogo it might mean they have to play Mainoo as a deeper midfielder. This certainly works against the 19-year-old’s best skillset, which is also playing as an advanced eight. Thus, they would likely have to sign another player who thrives most when playing deeper to fit both Ouedraogo and Mainoo into the same side.

Signing the Schalke sensation for just £17.1m certainly seems like a smart piece of business for United to conduct. It means they could finally bring in a replacement for Pogba and replace Casemiro. Doesn’t that sound a little bit good?