Andrey Santos's arrival at Manchester United could not have gone much better. The Brazilian midfielder joined from Chelsea for an initial £48m, with opinions split on the fee for a 22-year-old who was third choice at Stamford Bridge last season. But two games in, Santos has shown he can add something different to United's midfield.
Mount praises Santos
'I've watched him from afar, since he's obviously broken into the first team at Chelsea,' Mason Mount said after the 5-0 win over Rosenborg. 'I think he's a really good player. As you said, he reads the game very well. I know he's young, but he's very experienced in going out on loan and playing in the Premier League as well. He reads the game very well. He's a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more forward in these last two games and work off him. I think defensively as well, we're both players that want to get around it, want to put tackles in and win the ball back and be aggressive.'
Carrick's vision for midfield
Despite adding bite, Santos is not a quintessential defensive midfielder to protect the back four, and neither is Youri Tielemans. United fans have not seen the Belgium captain in action yet, but he is expected to offer strength in and out of possession. United still want to add a third midfielder this summer but are more relaxed than they were in June. Santos and Tielemans' arrivals have relieved pressure. There is no great rush to sign a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro. Carrick is looking to change United's midfield, aiming to cram it with high-level technical ability to control the game and set the tempo, playing proactively rather than reactively.
Risks against top opposition
Against Rosenborg, the new system worked perfectly, but against better quality opposition, United may be forced backwards and need to dig in. That is where a Casemiro-esque midfielder is needed. With just over a month until the transfer window closes, United could still add a more traditional defensive midfielder. A lot could depend on Real Madrid, who are interested in Rodri. If the Manchester City man moves to the Bernabeu, that could open the door for Aurelien Tchouameni, considered United's dream signing and a more traditional defensive midfield fit.
As things stand, Carrick is setting out a bold vision for United. It will only be during major games this season that we shall see if this new strategy works.
