Michael Carrick sees ‘positives’ in new Man United midfield partnership after Wrexham defeat in Helsinki friendly

MICHAEL CARRICK again touted Mason Mount as a central midfielder after Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Wrexham. United started their pre-season schedule in Helsinki on Saturday without almost all of their World Cup participants. Santos started in Helsinki Credit: Getty Santos is wearing the same number as compatriot Fred did for United Credit: Getty New signing Andrey Santos started alongside Mount in midfield and the pair played 45 minutes before Carrick picked an entirely different XI for the second half. Mount ended last season in a deeper role and has started pre-season there alongside the £50million Santos. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! The former Chelsea duo cost a combined £110m but could be behind Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans in United’s midfield pecking order. United missed out on Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes while a move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson collapsed before they brought in Santos and Tielemans this week. The club want another midfielder and pressure is likely to mount on director of football Jason Wilcox after Chelsea had a £117m offer for Morgan Rogers accepted by Aston Villa. “There’s loads of little positives to take from the game,” Carrick told MUTV. “I thought Andrey and Mason did some really good things and connected really well. I could see some positives there. “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. Most read in Sport “That is what it is. There were good signs from Andrey on his first one, he’s getting in the rhythm and feel of it again, so it was good to see him in a red shirt.” The United website billed Santos as a “regular” for Chelsea last term even though he started 25 of their 59 matches. Santos, 22, is the most defensive-minded of United’s fit contingent of midfield options but was billed as a box-to-box recruit by Wilcox. United still have five weeks until their opening Premier League fixture away at Hull City and they have five more friendlies to play. The Wrexham game was arranged primarily for the purposes of match fitness and there was a crowd of 20,000 in the 36,25-capacity Olympic Stadium in the Finnish capital. “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. That is only natural for the first one. “I think the most important thing is that everyone came through it in good shape. No injuries, so we can move on and take the next step next week.” Ticket + hotel room for Man Utd games GET tickets to see Man Utd at Old Trafford with our hand-picked deals. The packages include an official match ticket and an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. Man United Home Games⚽ 30 Aug v Ipswich — BOOK HERE⚽ 13 Sep v Manchester City — BOOK HERE⚽ 10 Oct v Tottenham Hotspur — BOOK HERE⚽ 24 Oct v Bournemouth — BOOK HERE⚽ 7 Nov v Aston Villa — BOOK HERE More games available here. *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Comment now