Manchester United's 4-2 victory over League Two side Newport County in the FA Cup last weekend highlighted a few key issues.
Erik ten Hag was seemingly frustrated by his side's performance, which has become a common occurrence this season.
Nevertheless, the boss will look to solve that problem slightly by attempting to sign a new midfielder.
Man Utd want a new midfielder
According to reports in Portugal via Centredevils, Man United are in talks to sign a new midfielder with Morten Hjulmand now looking like INEOS' new priority in the transfer market.
Sporting are said to be demanding a fee of £68m for the 24-year-old midfielder, a price tag that meets a release clause in his contract.
Therefore, a move this month is unlikely, with the current negotiations more likely to be in place for the summer.
Groundwork could well be laid ahead of a possible swoop in a few months time, then, talks already allegedly underway between respective parties.
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ByCharlie Smith How Hjulmand compares to Casemiro
United's performance last Sunday made the three-league gap between the two sides look nonexistent for large spells of the game, and Casemiro's poor showing put him under the spotlight.
During his first match back since injury, the 31-year-old looked like he was always one step behind, as shown by his four fouls, 5/12 duels won, and a dismal pass accuracy of 64%.
Pass accuracy
64%
Touches
59
Duels won
5/12
Possession lost
17
Fouls
4
In truth, the signs have been there all season, and with the Brazilian linked with a move to Saudi Arabia over the last couple of months, Ten Hag could look to cash in on him to fund a move for Hjulmand.
The Dane only joined Sporting in the summer for around £15m, but his impact at the club has already been astronomical. Featuring as the defensive midfielder in a 3-4-3, Hjulmand has played in all but one game for Sporting in the Liga Portugal and UEFA Europa League.
Nonetheless, the table below showcases Hjulmand's stats from the Liga Portugal and how he compares to his positional peers.
Tackles
2.53
Top 16%
% of dribblers tackled
58.6%
Top 12%
Passes into final third
4.91
Top 20%
Touches
71.16
Top 13%
Pass completion %
86.5%
Top 12%
Passes completed (short)
30.17
Top 6%
Passes attempted (Long)
4.11
Bottom 83%
As you can see, Hjulmand's approach revolves around winning the ball back for his side and providing defensive support in front of the back three, which makes him like Casemiro, who ranked in the top 10% for tackles across Europe in the past year. However, the main difference between the two is Hjulmand's superior athleticism and ability to cover ground, which has led to football journalist Zach Lowy calling him a "monster" for his off-the-ball actions.
The other main difference that would make Hjulmand an upgrade on the former Real Madrid player is his first thought when regaining possession. As highlighted by his rank in the bottom 75% for pass accuracy, Casemiro is extremely wasteful on the ball, which prevents United from gaining any control.
On the other hand, the Sporting star likes to set the tempo for his side by completing short passes, allowing his side to assert their dominance. The former Lecce player rarely forces the ball forward with long passes, but he will progress the play when the opportunity presents itself.
Overall, it's clear that the addition of Hjulmand could just transform United's midfield completely.