Manchester United’s New Era: Tielemans and Santos Set for Debuts
Manchester United’s new era under Michael Carrick starts with a bold call in midfield and a few big gambles elsewhere.
Tielemans and Santos thrown straight in
Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are both in line for competitive debuts as United open their Premier League campaign away to Hull at the MKM Stadium today.
Santos, a £50million summer signing from Chelsea, has barely missed a beat since arriving. He featured in all six of United’s pre-season friendlies and looked increasingly at home in the middle of the pitch. That workload points strongly towards a starting role at the base of Carrick’s midfield this afternoon.
Tielemans has taken a different route to the same destination. The Belgian joined later after an extended post-World Cup break following his country’s run to the quarter-finals, but the concerns over his fitness eased when he completed 90 minutes against Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan in Poland. That outing has effectively rubber-stamped his readiness for competitive action.
Carrick, preparing for his first full season as permanent United head coach, is expected to lean on familiarity. He could stick with the same midfield trio that began the 4-2 defeat to Milan, with Santos and Tielemans flanking captain Bruno Fernandes, who should again operate in his preferred No10 role behind the striker.
Defensive dilemmas for Carrick
The real uncertainty sits behind them.
Lisandro Martinez’s lack of match sharpness is a major headache. The Argentine has not yet hit full rhythm, and that opens the door for youngster Ayden Heaven to make a statement. Heaven is pushing to start alongside Harry Maguire at centre-back, with Leny Yoro the other option in that position against one of Maguire’s former clubs.
Senne Lammens is set to continue in goal, while Luke Shaw is expected to lock down the left-back berth. The right side of defence is less clear-cut. Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are locked in a straight fight for the starting spot, each offering a different balance of attacking thrust and defensive security. Carrick’s choice there will say plenty about how aggressively he intends to approach this opener.
Attacking puzzle: Dorgu’s rise and Cunha’s compromise
Further forward, Patrick Dorgu has complicated the picture in the best possible way. Nominally a left-sided defender, he has been reshaped into a left winger either side of a serious injury suffered against Arsenal in January. Since returning, he has brought direct running and width, and that reinvention now poses a genuine selection dilemma.
Matheus Cunha does his best work from that same left flank, drifting inside to combine with Fernandes and link play. But the injury situation at centre-forward is forcing a reshuffle.
Benjamin Sesko is not yet ready to start after a three-month lay-off, so Cunha is again expected to deputise as the central striker. That switch pushes Bryan Mbeumo back out to the right wing, where his pace and pressing can stretch Hull’s back line and open lanes for Fernandes and the advancing midfielders.
Carrick’s first team sheet of the season will be more than a list of names. It will reveal how much trust he already places in Santos and Tielemans, how brave he is with Heaven at centre-back, and whether this evolving United side is ready to turn promise into points from day one.
