Manchester United were outplayed at the Etihad, but being overpowered away at a struggling Brentford side is even more alarming, with the Red Devils surrendering 31 shots against Thomas Frank’s squad.

Erik ten Hag’s major issue on Saturday evening was the midfield, with Scott McTominay turning in a concerningly bad performance that emphasized the need for additional reinforcement.

With Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, due to leave this summer, the Red Devils need to find a suitable long-term replacement for Kobbie Mainoo in the center of the pitch.

Manchester United is searching for a midfielder.

According to sources in Portugal (via Record), Manchester United is competing with Barcelona for the signing of Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who had a promising first season in Lisbon.

Man Utd target Hjulmand: ‘Can play next to Mainoo for years’

According to the source, both United and the LaLiga heavyweights have been monitoring the former Lecce player in anticipation of a summer move, albeit neither has made an official approach as of yet.

This follows a January story in The Sun that Ten Hag and co. were considering sending Facundo Pellistri in the opposite direction in order to sign the 24-year-old, with the Primeira Liga club instead waiting to see if anyone would activate his £69 million release clause.

How does Hjulmand compare with Casemiro?

Man Utd after Sporting Star Morten Hjulmand This Summer

Hjulmand, described as “playing alongside Mainoo for years to come” by journalist Dean Jones, might be the defensive-minded presence that United require at the base of the midfield, allowing up the young Englishman to do his magic in a more advanced role.

Mainoo demonstrated in his first senior international start against Belgium in midweek that he had the abilities to thrive in a more offensive, box-to-box midfield role, which may explain why former colleague Anthony Elanga has previously compared him to Paul Pogba.

Mainoo, who is not the holding midfielder that many, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe, believe he is, need a dominant force to compliment him, which is why writer Zach Lowy is looking for a “absolute monster” like Hjulmand.

According to Lowy, a player with the “physicality, positional awareness, and vision to play as a lone holding midfielder” might be Mainoo’s ideal partner, with the same source describing him as a “upgrade on Casemiro” for the Red Devils.

That may be a bold statement to make when comparing a lesser-known Dane to a five-time Champions League winner, but based on current performance, Hjulmand appears to be United’s more effective operator.

That is evidenced by the fact that, in addition to scoring three goals and assisting three times in the league this season, the Sporting ace has an 87% pass accuracy rate and has created four ‘big chances’, while also demonstrating his defensive prowess by winning 54% of his duels and recovering 5.1 balls per game, according to Sofascore.

Meanwhile, Casemiro, an aging Brazilian, has only one goal and two assists in England’s top division, with an 83% pass accuracy rate and only two ‘big chances’ produced.

Defensively, the 32-year-old falls short, winning only 49% of his total duels and averaging 4.8 balls recovered per game, but having a higher tackle rate (3.1 versus 1.9).

The most noticeable difference, however, is how easily Casemiro is bypassed in the midfield, with an average of 2.2 dribbles per game in 16 league games, as opposed to his younger counterpart’s 0.7 dribbles per game.

That alone should explain why a change is needed this summer, with Hjulmand perhaps providing the unexpected ‘upgrade’ that United is hoping for.