Manchester United might already have their Casemiro replacement
Man Utd held on to defeat Arsenal on penalties in the third round of the FA Cup over the weekend.
Manchester United were on the ropes. They were down to 10-men and had just saved an Arsenal penalty amid the attacking bombardment. Ruben Amorim turned to his bench to help find a foothold in the game. He had the vast experience of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro if needed. He chose Toby Collyer instead.
Altay Bayindir and Joshua Zirkzee were labelled as two of the heroes by Amorim after their remarkable penalty shootout victory, while Leny Yoro also deserved huge credit for a clinical spot-kick and both Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt defended like their very lives depended on it.
United were not short of heroes, but they had another in youngster Collyer. The 21-year-old was just as important to United's eventual victory, adding much-needed energy to the midfield battle that they simply wouldn't have got from either Eriksen or Casemiro.
Even though his job was to break up play and pester the Arsenal midfield, he had 15 touches of the ball, won a key foul to stop a late Arsenal counter-attack, and posed an attacking threat when he combined with fellow substitutes Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee to force a corner. He won the only tackle he attempted, made three clearances, one recovery, and won three of the duels he contested.
The stats were impressive but the real success was unquantifiable. United could have quite easily been overrun in midfield had they brought another midfielder on, or left the leggy Kobbie Mainoo out on the pitch any longer. With the energy and athleticism of Collyer, they were able to compensate for the man disadvantage better than they had been doing, in a performance that perfectly suited his unique skillset.
Collyer's running stats have been described as 'freakish' by club sources, with the former Brighton midfielder one of the best athletes in the United first-team squad. He shone on their pre-season tour last summer and was penciled in to have a bigger role under former manager Erik ten Hag had he not suffered an unfortunate injury that saw him sidelined instead. United always planned for the young midfielder to stay at the club for the remainder of the season but after considering a possible loan exit this month it has once again been determined it would be better off for all parties if he remained at Old Trafford for now.
It must be said that Collyer won't always shine as brightly in matches where his team is on top and expected to break opponents, but on occasions when they have to absorb pressure and dig deep to see results out, he looks like an ideal asset for Amorim.
With Eriksen out of contract at the end of the season and Casemiro in contention to leave the club this month, United's transfer plans might be eased somewhat by the knowledge they already have a replacement for one of them.