Carrick Tried Leny Yoro at Right Back and It Actually Made Sense

Michael Carrick is not messing around with the preseason experiments. Manchester United opened their summer schedule with a 1-0 loss to Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday, and while the scoreline doesn’t matter much in July, the lineup choices do.

Carrick rolled out a first half that included new signing Andrey Santos alongside big names like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Bryan Mbeumo. The Brazilian midfielder showed some real chemistry with Mason Mount, which is something worth watching given United’s ongoing search for a third midfielder. The club hasn’t landed one yet. Mount might need to settle into that No. 8 role for real this season.

But the most interesting move came on the defensive end. Leny Yoro started at right back.

Yoro at Fullback? Sure, Why Not

United is currently without both Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, who are resting after World Cup duty. That leaves a pretty clear hole at right back. Carrick could have gone with academy kid Jaydan Kamason there and kept Yoro in the middle. Instead, he slid the Frenchman out wide.

And honestly, it worked well enough to be interesting. Yoro has the pace to get up and down the flank. He showed it Saturday, pushing forward when United had the ball and tracking back when Wrexham broke. The engine is clearly there. The question is whether Carrick wants to keep him there or just needed a body for this one game.

There’s also the Mazraoui factor. The Moroccan has been linked with a surprise exit this summer. If he goes, United’s right back depth chart gets thin fast. Yoro as a hybrid option who can play center back or fullback would give Carrick some serious flexibility.

Second Half Was All Kids

Wrexham scored in the first half and barely touched the ball after the break. United rolled out a second XI full of loan returners and academy prospects — Radek Vitek, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Jacob Devaney, Dan Gore, Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Williams. Shea Lacey and Amass were the ones who stood out. United held possession well but never really looked like equalizing.

That’s preseason for you. Get the minutes, don’t get hurt, try some stuff. Carrick tried something with Yoro. It might not stick. But if Mazraoui leaves and the midfield search keeps coming up empty, a versatile backline that lets Yoro shift around could be a real solution. We’ll see how long that experiment lasts.