Man Utd's Mount and Santos partnership could save millions and solve midfield puzzle

Mason Mount and new arrival Andrey Santos have formed a formidable midfield partnership in Manchester United’s first two pre-season games, raising hopes that Michael Carrick may not need to dip further into the transfer market. United have already spent £83m to sign Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa this summer, but with Manuel Ugarte ruled out for months with a knee injury and Casemiro leaving after his contract expired, the club were expected to add a third midfielder. Bournemouth duo Alex Scott and Tyler Adams have been mentioned, while persistent speculation surrounds Roma’s Manu Kone and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni — though Tchouameni’s likely salary and fee contradict United’s aim of keeping budgets under control. The evidence on the pitch, however, may offer a cheaper solution. Mount, who joined United from Chelsea for £55m in 2023, has played most of his career as an attacking midfielder, but has impressed in a deeper role alongside Santos. “He’s a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more and work off him,” Mount said of the 27‑year‑old nine‑goal Santos. “Defensively as well, we’re both players that want to get around it, put tackles in, win the ball back and be aggressive. I’ve really enjoyed it.” Carrick, who took over in January and guided United to a third‑place Premier League finish, must still offload several players. Radek Vitek is valued at £10m after impressing on loan at Bristol City, while Joshua Zirkzee — with only nine goals in 75 appearances since a £36.5m move — has been made available, with Juventus reportedly interested. Marcus Rashford remains a United player after his move to Barcelona collapsed, but his £325,000‑a‑week contract, with two years left, has made a transfer difficult. For now, the Mount‑Santos axis offers Carrick a glimmer of hope that the midfield rebuild might already be complete.