Manchester United are looking to sign a replacement for Casemiro and Genoa midfielder Patrizio Masini is the closest comparison to the Brazilian star.
Last weekend, Old Trafford waved goodbye to Casemiro as Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 3-2.
The Brazilian midfielder leaves the club on a high note after scoring nine goals in 2025/26 – the highest-scoring campaign of his career.
It is up to Ineos to find a replacement for Casemiro. While United are linked to Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and plenty of other household names, perhaps they should be looking in the direction of Patrizio Masini.
Who is Patrizio Masini? Europe’s closest comparison to Casemiro
A recent report from The Athletic included a statistical analysis of Casemiro, which highlighted his elite front-foot defending, his press resistance, and his overall heat map as a defensive midfielder.
According to their analysis, the most similar player in Europe to Casemiro’s profile is Genoa midfielder Patrizio Masini, who has a 99.6% similarity.
The 25-year-old is not necessarily a familiar name to the United fanbase.
Masini came up through the youth ranks at Genoa, and is now an important first-team player for the Serie A club.
This season, he has made 30 appearances across all competitions. Masini was a regular starter for Genoa at the start of 2025/26, but since the turn of the new year he has fallen down the pecking order and often been a substitute. That should already be a warning for United.
Patrizio Masini is a defensive midfielder by trade, although he has also played as a central midfielder in a 3-5-2 shape this season.
Patrizio Masini’s strengths and weaknesses are similar to Casemiro
Like Casemiro, Masini is an elite defensive midfielder.
According to Opta, Masini ranks in the top five percent in Europe for defensive actions across midfielders.
The Italian midfielder also ranks highly for possessions won and aerial duels won – exactly the same areas where Casemiro thrives.
However, Masini ranks poorly for dribbles attempted, touches in opposition box and shots attempted.
While Casemiro has scored nine goals this season, Masini has only scored once, so he is an inferior goal threat.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/VCPo3Ym