With Manchester United officially confirming that Casemiro will depart Old Trafford this summer after four years, the hunt for a successor is already on.
With players like Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson already linked with moves, a 20-year-old Spaniard in Germany might just be the answer to the problem.
Chema Andres is currently the best-kept secret in the Bundesliga, thriving at VfB Stuttgart, and he might just be what United need.
The data United fans will love to see
While Casemiro is a legendary figure as a destructive midfielder, particularly while playing for Real Madrid, Andres, who is also a Madridista, is breathing down his neck.
While the eye test suggests Andres is a powerhouse, it is the Possession-Adjusted data that proves he is a generational defensive outlier.
In modern scouting, PAdj calculates defensive actions like tackles and interceptions based on the time a team does not have the ball.
According to data from DataMB, Andres is currently matching the output of the world’s most experienced defensive anchors.
Despite the comparisons to Rodri, Andrés’ statistical profile reveals a player more akin to Michael Carrick or a prime Sergio Busquets. He is more of a stability specialist rather than a ball-carrying engine.
A microscopic 0.02 gap separates him from Casemiro in reading the game. His primary duty is limiting access to the “red zone” and maintaining collective stability.
He boasts an elite 94% passing accuracy, emphasising safety and ball retention over risky progression.
Unlike a modern single pivot like Frenkie de Jong, Andres is not a high-volume carrier, ranking in the fourth percentile for progressive carries. He is also conservative in his distribution, sitting in the 59th percentile for progressive passes.
He does not turn pressure into an advantage by dribbling out of trouble. Rather, he prevents the pressure from happening in the first place through world-class positioning and anticipation.
While Casemiro leads the PAdj interceptions chart, Andres follows suit on 10.31. Patrizio Masini of Genoa is third on 9.96, while Darko Nejasmic of NEC Breda is fourth on 9.83.
The gap between Casemiro and Andres is almost negligible, according to this season’s data. At 20 years old, the Spaniard is reading the game with the same elite anticipation as the five-time UEFA Champions League winner.
Who is Chema Andres?
Stuttgart pulled off what many are calling the “transfer coup of the decade” last summer, snatching Andrés from Real Madrid for a paltry £1.8 million.
A graduate of Madrid’s famous La Fabrica, he led Spain to the U19 European Championship title in 2024.
Standing at 190cm, he is a physical powerhouse. In Spain, they already call him “the next Rodri,” though he humbly deflects the comparison.
He has become indispensable for Stuttgart, boasting a staggering 94% passing accuracy earlier this season.
“I don’t like the comparison [to Rodri],” Andres told Bild. “He’s among the world’s best and I’m just getting started.”
Why Manchester United should look at Andres
If Manchester United want Andres, they will have to move fast and pray Real Madrid will not consider bringing him back home.
Stuttgart only owns 50% of his rights, and Real Madrid holds an £11.7 million buy-back clause that becomes active this summer.
Andres is enjoying a breakthrough season in Germany and represents the kind of “smart recruitment” United’s new hierarchy has been preaching.
