Andrey Santos made his first Manchester United appearance in a 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki – a debut that hinted at why Michael Carrick made the 22-year-old Brazilian his first signing.
Santos, who joined from Chelsea for an initial £48m, took his place at the base of midfield alongside Mason Mount. Carrick had praised his attitude before the match, saying: “He’s a fantastic character. He’s settled in so quickly and he’s buzzing to be here.” The Brazilian showed a good range of passing and won several duels, settling quickly in front of 20,000 spectators.
“Andrey Santos debuts in 1-0 friendly loss; Carrick's side lacked World Cup players.”
United, without their World Cup players including new signing Youri Tielemans and striker Benjamin Sesko, were undone six minutes before half-time. Sam Smith scored an easy finish after Lewis O’Brien’s cross appeared to go through Harry Maguire’s legs, moments after Smith had headed against his own crossbar defending a corner.
At half-time, 21 of the 22 players were replaced – only Wrexham’s Aaron James stayed on – leaving Carrick to field a side of academy products against a Wrexham team featuring Conor Coady and Kieffer Moore. United dominated the ball but struggled to create chances; Ethan Wheatley’s prodded effort in the 78th minute was their first shot on target.
The defeat came as United prepare for a first full season under Carrick, who guided them back to the Champions League. The club have already signed Santos, Tielemans for £35m, and reserve keeper Karl Darlow, with more arrivals expected.
Director of football Jason Wilcox said: “Michael has done an excellent job and thoroughly earned the opportunity to continue. The results speak for themselves. The hard work continues to prepare his first-team squad. We can all be proud of the winning culture that is developing at Carrington as we continue to build a talented and determined group of players ready to compete across all four competitions.”
United desperately needed midfield reinforcements after Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s long-term injury. Santos, however, is a more curious choice: he was often a backup at Chelsea last season as they finished seven places and 19 points behind United, and is not the finished article. Yet his distribution stands out – of Premier League midfielders with at least 900 minutes last season, only three had a better forward pass completion rate than Santos (80%), while his 82.2% completion rate on passes into the final third ranked sixth. Paired with Kobbie Mainoo, who played the most minutes among United outfielders under Carrick after Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw, Santos could bring defensive balance and intricate buildup play.
Wilcox also highlighted academy progress, noting four first-team debuts and FA Youth Cup final appearances. “You can sense the anticipation across the club for another exciting season ahead,” he added. “I hope you are all also looking forward to the return of special European nights for our men’s team at Old Trafford.”