Michael Carrick isn’t hitting the panic button yet. His Manchester United side dropped a 1-0 preseason friendly to Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday, but the manager came away from the loss feeling better about one thing in particular: new midfielder Andrey Santos.
The Brazilian made his first appearance in a United shirt after completing a $60 million move from Chelsea earlier this summer. And for a guy who’s only been training with the group for about 10 days, Carrick liked what he saw.
“There’s loads of little positives to take from the game,” Carrick said. “I thought Andrey and Mason [Mount] did some really good things and connected really well. I could see some positives there.”
The Santos-Mount pairing in the midfield is something United fans will be watching closely. Mount has had an up-and-down run since arriving at Old Trafford, and Santos is still adjusting to a new system and a new set of teammates. But the early returns, at least from Carrick’s perspective, suggest the two can build something.
United didn’t create much going forward, which is probably the bigger concern for a team that struggled to score consistently last season. Carrick wasn’t freaking out about that either.
“Top end of the pitch, just because it is a week in, those sharp little movements and bright moments that you are looking for, they come as you progress through the weeks of training,” he said. “That is what it is.”
Santos didn’t look lost out there. He won a few duels, showed some composure on the ball, and worked hard off it. For a first runout, that’s about all you can ask. Carrick said the most important thing was that everyone got through the game healthy.
“As I said before the game, the boys have only been back together for 10 days or so,” Carrick added. “It was just about getting through today, looking for some positives, looking for some good things and knowing that it wasn’t going to be perfect. No injuries, so we can move on and take the next step next week.”
United will head to Norway next, facing Rosenborg in Trondheim on July 24. That one should give Carrick a better look at where his squad really is. The Wrexham loss won’t mean much in a month, but the early chemistry between Santos and Mount is something worth tracking.
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