Manchester United have added two midfielders who can change the way the side is built. Andrey Santos arrived for an initial fee of up to £48 million, while Youri Tielemans was signed via his £35 million release clause. That is a serious outlay, but the point is not just depth. It is flexibility around Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Marcus Rashford.
Carrick's midfield options
The best version may be Santos next to Mainoo. A Manchester Evening News feature writer called that “the most tactically astute option”, saying it would let Mainoo “express his freedom in an attacking sense”. The same piece also set out a 4-2-2-2, with Santos and Tielemans protecting the back four and allowing United to overload opponents higher up the pitch.
That is a sensible way to look at the signings. Manchester United played a record-low of 40 games last term, and they still finished third in the Premier League on 71 points. This is not about ripping up the team sheet. It is about giving Carrick more than one workable structure, whether that means a double pivot, a freer Mainoo role or a more aggressive attacking shape.
Santos' passing profile fits that case. He can unlock team-mates with 14.4 forward passes per 90, which is the kind of range United have not always had from deeper midfield areas. Tielemans gives a different sort of control, and the release clause route suggests this was a planned move rather than an opportunistic one.
Rashford's return complicates the shape
Marcus Rashford adds a different problem. The Manchester Evening News feature writer said his quality is clear and that he would give Carrick “another explosive attacking option” in a team built around versatile, physical wide players. That fits the rest of the midfield discussion, because the more control United have in the centre, the easier it becomes to use Rashford without losing structure.
Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign, so the ceiling is obvious enough. But the bigger point for United is simpler: Santos and Tielemans make it easier to pick the right balance on any given week. On the evidence here, that is the real value of the moves.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
