Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos Set for Manchester United Debut
Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are set to pull on a Manchester United shirt in competitive action for the first time this weekend, with both in line to feature against Hull City.
Santos, the £50million summer arrival from Chelsea, has already moved from unknown quantity to pre-season ever-present. Six friendlies, six appearances. Carrick has trusted him throughout the warm-up games, and all signs point to the Brazilian anchoring United’s midfield on Saturday afternoon.
Tielemans’ route has been different but no less decisive. Granted a three-week break after helping Belgium reach the World Cup quarter-finals, he arrived later than most, yet he used the time well. Ninety minutes in the final friendly against AC Milan underlined his fitness and sharpened his claim for a starting role.
Carrick, gearing up for his first full campaign as permanent head coach, may not overcomplicate things. The midfield that began the 4-2 defeat to Milan in Poland — Santos, Tielemans and captain Bruno Fernandes in his preferred No 10 slot — is the most logical blueprint. It gives United balance, control and their talisman exactly where he wants to be.
Defensive Concerns
At the back, the picture is less settled. Lisandro Martinez’s lack of match sharpness has opened the door for youth. Ayden Heaven is pushing hard and could get the nod over Leny Yoro to partner Harry Maguire, who faces one of his former clubs. It would be a bold call, but Carrick has shown he is not afraid of one.
Other Positions
Some positions pick themselves. Senne Lammens is expected to start in goal, Luke Shaw at left-back. The right side of defence is a straight duel: Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui. Both offer thrust going forward, both can tuck inside. Carrick’s choice there will say plenty about how aggressively he intends to approach Hull.
Higher up the pitch, Patrick Dorgu has rewritten his own story. Once a full-back, he has been reshaped into a left-winger, his transformation only briefly stalled by a cruel injury against Arsenal in January. His emergence in that role has created a genuine headache for Carrick, because Matheus Cunha is at his most dangerous cutting in from the same flank.
Something has to give. For now, the solution lies through the middle. With Benjamin Sesko not ready to start after a three-month lay-off, Cunha is expected to deputise again as a central striker. That shift frees up the left for Dorgu and pushes Bryan Mbeumo back to the right, restoring the width and work-rate Carrick wants from his front line.
New signings, a reshaped attack, a young defender pushing for a start: Hull away may be the curtain-raiser, but for Carrick’s Manchester United, it already feels like a defining statement about where this project is heading.
