It is hard to imagine Manchester United's season panning out the way it has if not for the signing of Casemiro late last summer. United had initially communicated in early July that they were prepared to go the whole transfer window without adding an outright defensive midfielder, such was Erik ten Hag's eagerness to be reunited with Frenkie de Jong instead.
Sources cited the four deep-lying options of Scott McTominay, Fred, Donny van de Beek and James Garner as options should they not make any further additions.
Then plans were ripped up. Ten Hag acknowledged the lack of a 'six holding midfield position' as part of the reason why his side had lost to Brighton and Brentford in the first two matches of the season, and United took drastic action to address that.
