Andrey Santos and a revitalized Mason Mount: The blueprint for Michael Carrick’s new-look midfield | OneFootball

Manchester United’s midfield has been a bit like the Bermuda Triangle this summer. Transfer targets have disappeared to alternative destinations, while entirely different players have unexpectedly appeared. But does a void still remain?

A Summer of Vanishing Targets and Surprise Arrivals

Top target Elliot Anderson ended up at Manchester City, Mateus Fernandes went to Spurs, and the Ederson transfer never materialised. But as quickly as those deals fell away, the Red Devils moved to make two somewhat surprise signings: Andrey Santos from Chelsea ($64m) and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa ($47m).

Michael Carrick’s midfield has been the subject of much focus. The departure of Brazil captain Casemiro and a general lack of options in the middle of the park—compounded by Manuel Ugarte’s serious injury—saw the club target three new midfielders during the transfer window.

Of the two already signed, Andrey Santos has been thrown straight into pre-season action. Meanwhile, Belgium captain Tielemans has been granted extra time to recover after guiding his nation to the quarter-finals of the World Cup last month.

The Stockholm Test: Santos as the Metronome

Santos has started all three of United’s fixtures—a 1-0 loss to Wrexham, a 5-0 win over Rosenborg, and a 2-1 victory against Atlético Madrid. Featuring alongside Mason Mount, the 22-year-old Brazilian has now played enough minutes to provide a clear guide to how he might operate when the games get competitive.

Saturday’s meeting with Atletico at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm provided United with their toughest test so far and is likely the best indicator of how Santos will be deployed when the Premier League season kicks off. Carrick once again selected Santos alongside Mount, with youngster Shea Lacey ahead of the pair in Bruno Fernandes’ No.10 role. It quickly became apparent that the new signing is intended for the deeper ‘anchor’ role.

Manchester United Starting XI vs Atletico Madrid in Stockholm.

His ability to cover the ground in front of the back four allowed Mount to play ahead of him in a more box-to-box role. In that respect, Santos could be considered an upgrade on Casemiro; however, at 22 years old, his passing range and stature do not yet match that of his compatriot.

Tactical profile: The metronome and the press

Santos generally sat deep, taking the ball off the back four and playing short, neat passes—a metronome retaining possession and recycling the ball. But there were flashes of the other side of his game. After 14 minutes, the midfielder fizzed a lovely pass through the lines (reminiscent of Lisandro Martínez) to Bryan Mbeumo. Only a foul on the edge of the box prevented a shot on goal after the striker’s wonderful one-two with Mount.

There was also the occasional lofted pass out wide to Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo, making his first start since returning from the World Cup.

Crucially, it was Santos who played the pass to Lacey which resulted in the youngster winning the penalty for Bryan Mbeumo to score United’s equaliser in the 53rd minute. United had trailed since the sixth minute after a cross-shot evaded everyone to give Atletico the lead.

United’s pressure eventually told, and Mbeumo ensured the 2-1 victory by netting his second of the game in the 74th minute, clinical finishing that rewarded United’s dominant second-half display.

The Mount Resurgence

Defensively, United weren’t given a thorough examination by Atlético. Standing in front of the back four, the 5ft 11in Santos appeared a little diminutive, though he wasn’t really tested aerially. He didn’t fly into any tackles; instead, he cleverly positioned himself in the passing lanes to delay attackers until a teammate could get back.

That teammate was invariably Mason Mount. In fact, it was the Englishman, rather than Santos, who really caught the eye.

Santos provided the foundation for Mount to press the ball and augment the attack in an all-action performance. Playing in this deeper role under Carrick, the 27-year-old Mount—who has endured a difficult time with injuries since moving from Chelsea in 2023—has really shone. Against Atletico, he was breaking up play with aplomb and dancing through the midfield with nutmegs and slide-rule passes in a man-of-the-match performance.

Solving the mystery: Is the blueprint complete?

It appears Kobbie Mainoo and Tielemans, both yet to feature following their World Cup exploits, will have stiff competition for those starting spots. While Carrick clearly sees Santos as the man to anchor the base of the midfield, United could still use further depth. Youngster Jim Thwaites replaced Santos after 81 minutes, but the 18-year-old is unlikely to make the step up this season.

Maybe that third midfielder is materialising in the Bermuda Triangle right now.

Ultimately, while United’s midfield started the summer shrouded in mystery, the blueprint for the coming campaign is slowly coming into focus. Andrey Santos appears to be the man who will play a disciplined anchor role behind a more box-to-box midfielder. He is certainly not yet the phenomenon some online fans would have you believe, but he has the potential to make some of United’s defensive doubts disappear.