{"id":1446311,"date":"2026-05-04T19:09:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T18:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1446311"},"modified":"2026-05-04T19:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T18:09:36","slug":"tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/","title":{"rendered":"Danilo analysis: Brazilian emerges as Manchester United transfer target but is he a true Casemiro replacement?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Another day, another central midfielder linked with a move to Manchester United.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Casemiro\u2019s impending exit will see United enter the market for a replacement for the Brazilian. Factor in Manuel Ugarte\u2019s likely departure, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before the Premier League side make their move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-danilo-emerges-as-united-target\" data-level=\"3\">Danilo emerges as United target<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-is-danilo-the-man-to-replace-casemiro\" data-level=\"3\">Is Danilo the man to replace Casemiro?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-better-suited-as-mainoo-competition\" data-level=\"3\">Better suited as Mainoo competition<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A host of players have been linked with an Old Trafford switch once it was confirmed that Casemiro would leave the club. Real Madrid\u2019s Aurelien Tchouameni has emerged as a target for United. Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace is another on the club\u2019s wishlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple Brazilian players are also believed to be on the club\u2019s radar. Joao Gomes and Ederson have been linked with a summer switch. And another is supposedly wanted by United if reports over the weekend are to be believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-danilo-emerges-as-united-target\">Danilo emerges as United target<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Danilo departed Nottingham Forest last summer. The midfielder spent two-and-a-half years at the City Ground but struggled to consolidate a starting spot in the Midlands. However, in the year since his return to Brazil, the 25-year-old has been a revelation. While he struggled to acclimatise to Brazilian football following his return to his homeland, Danilo\u2019s performances for Botafogo this season have attracted interest from Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-soa-bs4-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sky Bet Offer<\/a>: Get \u00a340 in free bets when you place any bet<\/h2>\r\n<p>Looking for some free bets to boost your betting fund? Sky Bet are offering customers the chance to get \u00a340 in free bets when they sign up and place any qualifying bet.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1422496\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1024x290.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1024x290.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-300x85.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-768x218.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1536x435.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-400x113.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-600x170.png 600w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-212x60.png 212w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-150x43.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-40x11.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143.png 2036w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sign up at Sky Bet<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0using this link<\/li>\r\n<li>Place a qualifying bet of at least 5p on a single or each way bet at odds of 1\/1 or greater, as your first bet<\/li>\r\n<li>Claim your \u00a340 free bet bonus<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h5 class=\"bookmaker-row exclusive\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-filter=\"  all-bookmakers free-bets in-play new-bookmaker world-cup-offers\">18+ NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE &amp; E\/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1\/1 OR GREATER. 4 X \u00a310 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS EXPIRE AFTER 30 DAYS. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&amp;CS APPLY.<\/h5>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<p>And Botafogo\u2019s rumoured preference to sell Danilo to Europe suits United, among other interested suitors. That he caught Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s attention has certainly helped. Indeed, Danilo won his first Selecao caps in March international break as he featured for Ancelotti\u2019s side in meetings with France and Croatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was richly deserved international recognition, too. Danilo has now scored seven goals and laid on an additional two assists in the Brasileirao this season. He couldn\u2019t help Botafogo to a result against Remo at the weekend, but that should take anything away from what has been a fine 2026 campaign to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-danilo-the-man-to-replace-casemiro\">Is Danilo the man to replace Casemiro?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue will be, though, whether Danilo could be considered an appropriate replacement for compatriot Casemiro at Old Trafford. There\u2019s no denying that Casemiro is one of the finest ball winners of his generation. United will need a number 6 to complement the number 8 in Michael Carrick\u2019s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup. The appropriate players to shield the defence and allow the attacking stars the flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Danilo can play this role. He averaged a respectable 2.6 tackles per 90 in his final injury-hit season at Forest. However, now back at Botafogo, Danilo\u2019s talents as a high-energy box-to-box star are being maximised.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"EZ6rFQnuH5b8klqWDdPyy\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It means that he\u2019s averaging just 1.3 tackles per 90, a significant drop on Casemiro\u2019s haul of 3.2 tackles per 90. The United man also ranks higher for ground duels contested per 90 (8.5 to 6.7), ground duel success rate (54.04% to 36.11%) and interceptions per 90 (1.1 to 0.5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What that does mean, though, is that Danilo ranks better for in-possession metrics. Danilo is creating more chances per 90 (1.8 to 1.3) and averaging more completed take ons per 90 (0.7 to 0.3) in their respective leagues this season. He\u2019s able to win the ball effectively, evident in that he\u2019s won possession in the midfield third 28 times, the 10th most in the Brasileirao this season, and drive the ball forward to link up the midfield and attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-better-suited-as-mainoo-competition\">Better suited as Mainoo competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Admittedly, he\u2019s able to play as a midfield anchor, but in doing so, United would waste Danilo\u2019s talents. Restricting him to a number 6 would be counter-intuitive.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"3D4FCgd6AT6epE2dp6ayb\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>So, while Danilo may be viewed as a Casemiro replacement, he\u2019d be better suited acting as cover and competition for Kobbie Mainoo as a number 8. Saying that, United are expected to be in the market for more than one midfielder. It\u2019s not a case of the Manchester giants signing Danilo, and it\u2019ll mean that miss out on Wharton or Tchouameni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a return to the Champions League guaranteed following their 3-2 win over Liverpool, Michael Carrick needs cover across a number of areas. Central midfield is the priority, but they\u2019ve also been linked with a move for a new striker and left-back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Botafogo won\u2019t want to lose Danilo on the cheap. His current contract expires in 2029, meaning the Brazilian powerhouse are under no pressure to sell their prized asset. They\u2019d demand a hefty fee to entertain his sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>United are readying themselves for a crunch summer. Danilo could be a solid pick up as Carrick\u2019s side seek to strengthen a key area.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another day, another central midfielder linked with a move to Manchester United. Casemiro\u2019s impending exit will see United enter the market for a replacement for the Brazilian. Factor in Manuel Ugarte\u2019s likely departure, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before the Premier League side make their move. A host of players have been linked&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1446312,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"A closer look at Danilo's rise at Botafogo, his strengths and weaknesses, and whether he can replace Casemiro at Manchester United.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1446311","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Danilo analysis: Brazilian emerges as Manchester United transfer target but is he a true Casemiro replacement? | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A closer look at Danilo&#039;s rise at Botafogo, his strengths and weaknesses, and whether he can replace Casemiro at Manchester United.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Danilo analysis: Brazilian emerges as Manchester United transfer target but is he a true Casemiro replacement?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A closer look at Danilo&#039;s rise at Botafogo, his strengths and weaknesses, and whether he can replace Casemiro at Manchester United.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T18:09:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04190501\/Danilo04052026_3EAB2NH-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\"},\"headline\":\"Danilo analysis: Brazilian emerges as Manchester United transfer target but is he a true Casemiro replacement?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-04T18:09:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T18:09:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\"},\"wordCount\":805,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04190501\/Danilo04052026_3EAB2NH-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-danilo-man-utd-casemiro-kobbie-mainoo\/\",\"name\":\"Danilo analysis: Brazilian emerges as Manchester United transfer target but is he a true Casemiro replacement? 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