Carrick told best Man Utd midfield combo as Baleba nears move to join Santos, Tielemans and Mainoo
Michael Carrick has been told he now has a very “difficult” balancing act keeping all of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Kobbie Mainoo happy, with Carlos Baleba close to being added to the Manchester United mix in a £70m deal, though TEAMtalk has been told why the Red Devils could have pursued a Real Madrid star instead.
The Red Devils have put a heavy transfer focus on midfield recruits this summer as INEOS look to deliver Carrick a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title and going deep in the Champions League upon their return to UEFA’s premier club competition.
While all the top sides expect strong competition for places – and often boast two solid options for each position in their starting XI – United’s heavy midfield spending this summer means all their recruits will expect to feature in their fair share of matches.
Keeping the quartet happy represents a challenge in its own right and now, with Baleba close to joining United in a £70m package, former Red Devils star Lee Sharpe has attempted to predict which of the quartet will form Carrick’s first-choice pairing in the majority of games.
While accepting things will evolve as the season unfolds, Sharpe reckons Mainoo and Tielemans are the pair that could complement one another best in Carrick’s expected 4-2-3-1 formation.
“That’s a very difficult question, and I don’t think even Michael Carrick could answer it at the moment,” Sharpe exclusively told TEAMtalk in association with NetBet football betting.
“As we’ve seen from some games in pre-season, Mason Mount has also been sensational and could present another option in there too.
“He looks to get the ball forward, which is what Carrick said he wants from his players. None of this backwards and side-to-side nonsense.
“It’s about winning the ball early and getting the ball forward so the creative and goalscoring players have the opportunity in front of goal.
“Mason Mount has proven to me that he can do that, and Santos and Tielemans look good too. I really like how Kobbie Mainoo’s first thought is always to go forward, and he rarely gives the ball away.
“Baleba will also be a shrewd signing, and he’s one that Jason Wilcox has wanted at Old Trafford for a while now.
Asked which combo he feels might be the most effective, he stated: “So, I’d put Kobbie and Tielemans in the midfield partnership, but I think they’ll play at such high intensity so don’t be surprised if they don’t complete too many full games together; especially with Baleba, Santos and also Mount in the mix. If changes are needed, don’t be shocked to see a double change there come the 70th minute in games.”
While Sharpe is impressed with United’s depth and he has backed Baleba to prove a strong addition, he would still have liked United to have pushed harder over a deal for Aurelien Tchouameni, who he feels could have proved the pick of the bunch.
That move, though, was always doomed to failure and more so once Real missed out on Rodri, who instead left Manchester City to join Barcelona this summer.
Los Blancos had considered financing a move for the Spain star by sacrificing Tchouameni this summer.
Ultimately, though, it wasn’t to be, as Sharpe reflected: “They’ve got a very good depth of players in the midfield who are all on the same wavelength now.
“But I do think Tchouameni would have been another great addition for different scenarios in different games.
“When you’ve played at Real Madrid, you understand the pressure when every game needs to be won, and that’s what he would bring to Man Utd. You play under intense situations, and you’ve got to be able to deal with that, and he’s got that experience.
“It’s a moot point now, but he would have fitted the profile very well, and that would give Man Utd a real depth in that midfield area.”
