After a debut season that promised so much for the future, Erik ten Hag's second season in charge of Manchester United can only be described as a disappointment.

They were knocked out of the League Cup and Champions League early and are sat sixth in the Premier League, and while they have made it into the FA Cup final, they will have to face the indomitable Manchester City for the second year running.

However, while the Dutchman certainly has to take a portion of the blame, he hasn't been helped by a mountain of injuries and a plethora of players who have seemingly forgotten the fundamentals of football this year.

One of the worst offenders has been Casemiro, who, after a brilliant first season at the club last year, has, in the words of journalist Isaac Seelochan, 'dropped off a cliff' this year. The good news for fans is that, based on reports, the club could be set to replace him in the summer.

Man Utd searching for Casemiro successor

According to recent reports from Spain, Manchester United are interested in signing Juventus star and French international Adrien Rabiot this summer to reinforce their midfield.

The good news for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS is that with the 29-year-old's contract set to expire at the end of the season, they could land his services for free, thus allowing them to further invest in other positions as they look to rejuvenate the team.

However, a recent report from CaughtOffside has also claimed that Barcelona and Bayern Munich are keen on signing the experienced star, so while there would be no fee involved, the Red Devils might have to cough up a competitive salary package, although if they can offload Casemiro's wages in the process, then it might prove to be an excellent bit of business.

How Rabiot compares to Casemiro

Now, the biggest issue some might have with the idea of Rabiot coming in as a replacement for Casemiro, even as a short-term solution, is that the Brazilian has spent most of his career as a defensive midfielder, while the Frenchman has spent most of his career slightly further up the pitch as a central midfielder.

Ostensibly, this is true, but the Juventus ace has played a considerable number of games as a number six in his career - 76 to be exact - so there is no reason to believe that a player of his quality and one who possesses his experience couldn't adapt to play that role for a United side that is transitioning under Ten Hag.

Moreover, when comparing the pair's underlying numbers, while coming out ahead in some metrics, the former Real Madrid star comes out second best in most, including a few defensive ones. For example, he only produces more progressive passes, tackles and blocks per 90.

However, the Brazilian makes substantially fewer progressive carries, succeeds in fewer take-ons, has a worse pass completion rate, makes fewer interceptions, takes fewer shots on target, produces a lower non-penalty expected goal and assists figure alongside far fewer shot and goal-creating actions and most surprisingly, he wins a slightly lower percentage of the tackles he makes, all per 90.

Ultimately, the "extraordinary" Juve ace, as described by French icon David Trezeguet, isn't going to be the long-term answer for United at 29 years old, but given how much better his overall statistics are and the fact that, in the words of Jamie Carragher, "Casemiro's legs have gone", it would likely be a good idea to get him in as a 'cheap' replacement for the Brazilian, at least for a couple of seasons.