Casemiro vs Frenkie de Jong: Man Utd signal Brazil midfielder from Real Madrid after De Jong deal stalls

Manchester United have signed Casemiro for £70m and are reportedly nonetheless pursuing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong – however how do the 2 gamers differ?

Erik ten Hag described the Brazilian as “the cement between the stones” in midfield after the 30-year-old was paraded in entrance of followers forward of the spectacular 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday.

Meanwhile, Man Utd haven’t given up hope of signing De Jong and have a broad settlement price £72m in place – however the potential transfer has dragged on for much longer than the membership wished or anticipated.

But how do the switch targets examine and what would Casemiro provide Man Utd?

How do the gamers examine?

Casemiro excels within the No 6 destroyer function, rating among the many elite for reclaiming possession within the center third and successful tackles and duels in La Liga final season.

Heat maps from the gamers’ performances within the Champions League final season clearly present how De Jong is usually deployed in a extra superior, left-of-centre, function, whereas Casemiro sits far deeper.

The radar beneath compares their per-90 returns in La Liga final time period and offers additional proof of how De Jong surpasses his rival in attacking metrics however is notably inferior defensively.

In phrases of distribution, once more, the Brazilian is most lively within the central area of his personal half, however contributes in all different areas of the pitch, field to field, in equal measure.

The passing networks beneath spotlight how Casemiro has been Real’s deep distribution hub, in contrast with De Jong’s attacking combos down the left of Barcelona’s assault.

As a results of taking part in deeper, the Real midfielder, unsurprisingly, registers extra ahead passes, however is notably reluctant to move in direction of his personal aim and information an virtually even unfold of angles upfield with spectacular accuracy.

The graphic beneath elaborates additional and exhibits the passing distances of each gamers, revealing how Casemiro fires a far increased frequency of lengthy passes – which makes his accuracy all of the extra spectacular.

The Brazilian offers a defend of canopy for his defence, whereas De Jong makes defensive actions evenly between each containers and has a decrease ratio of actions within the graphic beneath – having performed solely 523 minutes within the Champions League final time period, in contrast with Casemiro’s 914.

However, Casemiro is unlikely to enhance Man Utd’s development upfield with the ball at his ft, sometimes solely carrying the ball 96m per 90 minutes within the Champions League final time period, of which 50.8m was upfield – rating 342nd and 312th, respectively.

In distinction, De Jong ran 182.9m per sport with the ball, and half of that distance was directed in direction of the opponent’s aim – however these returns nonetheless solely rank 82nd and 86th throughout the competitors.

However, Ten Hag’s facet are lastly set to signal a defensive midfielder in Casemiro and the five-time Champions League winner will provide pedigree and solidity for a facet who shipped six objectives of their opening two video games.

De Jong? Expect that one to rumble on, right down to the wire…

Antony: Man Utd prone to submit improved

Manchester United are prone to go in with an improved provide to signal Ajax winger Antony however the Dutch staff’s supervisor has taken a swipe at Man Utd’s lack of Champions League soccer.

The Red Devils are regarded as inspired that Antony’s omission from the Ajax squad for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam is the most recent indication the participant desires to maneuver to Old Trafford.

One supply has instructed Sky Sports News the participant is “not mentally right” to play following Man Utd’s £67.9m (€80m) bid.

Man Utd are reluctant to pay greater than £67.9m however at the moment are exploring a brand new provide with an improved construction of funds.

They are ready to stroll away from a deal if the numbers are too excessive and stay enthusiastic about PSV’s Cody Gakpo and Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic. Pulisic was named on the substitutes’ bench for Chelsea’s journey to Elland Road to play Leeds on Sunday.

Follow the summer season switch window with Sky Sports

Who will likely be on the transfer this summer season earlier than the switch window closes at 11pm on September 1?

Keep up-to-date with all the most recent switch information and rumours in our devoted Transfer Centre weblog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You may also meet up with the ins, outs and evaluation on Sky Sports News.