The “next Casemiro” is set to join Man Utd after Santos

The summer of 2022 remains a notable one for Manchester United, with that hectic window having seen a raft of high-profile stars depart ahead of a new era under Erik ten Hag, with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard among the many to have been moved on.

In terms of incomings, Ten Hag and co had spent much of the summer chasing Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, even agreeing a fee with the Catalan side.

And yet, that public and protracted saga proved fruitless as the Dutch midfielder was determined to stay put at Camp Nou, United thus pivoting toward his LaLiga rival, Casemiro, in order to plug the midfield hole.

Whether the £70m signing of the Brazilian has been a true success is up for debate, but his cult status is not in question, nor is the fact that he has left a sizeable void following his nine-goal heroics last season.

Leading INEOS targets have already been scrubbed in recent weeks, although the expectation is that two of Casemiro’s compatriots, Andrey Santos and Ederson will join. Specifically, the former is due to sign in a £50m deal from Chelsea.

It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will prove to be United’s marquee midfield signing of the summer, although the man who replaced Casemiro at Real Madrid doesn’t appear set to follow the 34-year-old to Old Trafford.

The latest on Man Utd’s interest in Aurelien Tchouameni

There was a fear, after that De Jong debacle, that United would find themselves being played again regarding Aurelien Tchouameni, with the Frenchman having been facing an uncertain future at Madrid.

Indeed, there were conflicting reports over whether or not the 26-year-old is in new boss Jose Mourinho’s plans moving forward, with Los Blancos long linked with the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Rodri as potential midfield reinforcements.

What is clear, however, is that Tchouameni is a player that INEOS would have been keen to sign, seemingly identified as the ‘dream target’ this summer.

United officials were even believed to have flown out to Spain in order to try and thrash out a deal, with any move expected to cost in excess of £70m.

There were also claims that the Old Trafford side had offered the player a five-year contract on good terms, in order to tempt him into leaving the Spanish capital, with INEOS no doubt wary of missing out again after seeing Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes move elsewhere.

And yet, as anticipated, such links might well have been a mere smokescreen for the player to seal a bumper new deal at the Bernabeu, with Fabrizio Romano outlining that Tchouameni is set to sign an extension until 2031.

Another ship has sailed then, it would seem, although rather than being embroiled in a high-profile saga, perhaps Michael Carrick and Co could look to promote young talent instead.

Man Utd have already signed the “next Casemiro” for Carrick

United so often wait for youngsters to be developed elsewhere, before paying substantial fees to sign those players later down the line, as was the case with £74m man Benjamin Sesko, a striker whom the club rejected the chance to sign for just £2.5m back in 2019.

Like with the £1m signing of Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, the Red Devils need to take risks on the next big thing, not least considering there are multiple positions to reinforce ahead of next season.

Well, thankfully, one deal that has already been wrapped up in that regard is the signing of Colombian teenager, Cristian Orozco, with the youngster set to officially sign when he turns 18 this month.

The 17-year-old has already flown in for his medical by all accounts, with United agreeing to pay a fee of around £850k last year, in order to prise him from Fortaleza.

A raw rising star with just a handful of senior appearances under his belt, Orozco might not be Carrick’s immediate first-team solution, although hopes are high regarding the impact he can make in Manchester.

Indeed, as per one notable scout, he is viewed as potentially being the “next Casemiro“, such is his sky-high potential in that number six role.

Now, the sample size is small, considering he has only played five games for his current side, yet Orozco has shown enough to be encouraged by at youth level in recent times.

In last year’s U17 World Cup, for instance, he was averaging a stellar three tackles and interceptions per game, as well as six ball recoveries per appearance.

For context, that does compare favourably with what Tchouameni has recorded at the World Cup in recent weeks, the Frenchman also averaging 6.3 ball recoveries, alongside six tackles and interceptions per game.

Like Tchouameni, the South American starlet is a real pillar in front of the back four, yet while also possessing the grace and skill to be able to drive his side forward from deep, having averaged 0.8 successful dribbles per game in last year’s tournament.

Of course, Orozco is likely to be more of a project than a sure thing like the Madrid man, but who better to nurture a midfield rising star than Carrick himself?

As seen in the success of signing the likes of Heaven and Patrick Dorgu, sometimes it is worth gambling on a bright young thing, rather than always looking toward the marquee, costly signings.

Santos certainly ticks that box, while so too does the teenage Orozco.