Andrey Santos made his first Manchester United appearance in a pre-season friendly against Wrexham in Helsinki, but Michael Carrick's side lost 1-0 as Sam Smith scored the only goal six minutes before half-time. The Brazilian, who became United's first summer signing from Chelsea for an initial £48m, took his place at the base of midfield alongside Mason Mount in front of 20,000 spectators. Carrick had praised the 22-year-old's attitude before the match, saying: “He’s a fantastic character. He’s settled in so quickly and he’s buzzing to be here.”
Santos soon showed a good range of passing and won several duels in a busy display. United’s first chance was a Joshua Zirkzee shot that fizzed wide in the 24th minute, and they almost went ahead when Smith tried to clear a corner but hit the bar in the 36th minute. Smith was soon on the scoresheet, tapping in after Lewis O’Brien’s cross appeared to go through Harry Maguire’s legs.
“Andrey Santos made his first Manchester United appearance in a pre-season 1-0 loss to Wrexham.”
Twenty-one of the 22 players were replaced at half-time, with only Wrexham’s Aaron James staying on. Carrick sent out a side of academy products against a Wrexham team including Conor Coady and Kieffer Moore. United dominated the ball but struggled to fashion chances as the pace of the game dropped. Wrexham threatened with a low shot from Davis Keillor-Dunn but Radek Vitek made the save. When Ethan Wheatley prodded Harry Amass’s cross goalwards in the 78th minute, it was their first shot on target.
United were without players who have featured at the World Cup, including new signing Youri Tielemans and Benjamin Sesko. The club desperately needed midfield reinforcements after Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s long-term injury, prompting deals for Santos and Tielemans – the latter captaining Belgium and available for £35m after 244 Premier League appearances.
Santos’s move from Chelsea raised eyebrows. He was often a backup at Chelsea last season as they finished seven places and 19 points behind United. Since Alex Ferguson retired 13 years ago, United had only signed four players from their “big six” rivals: Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Mason Mount (all Chelsea) and Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal). However, Opta analysis suggests Santos could be a shrewd acquisition. His pass completion rate for forward passes (80%) was bettered by only three midfielders with at least 900 Premier League minutes last season, and his rate into the final third (82.2%) ranked sixth among Premier League midfielders. Carrick will hope Santos complements Kobbie Mainoo, who played more minutes than any other United outfield player bar Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw under the new manager.