Photo by Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Michael Carrick has hinted that he is happy with one tactical tweak that he saw during Manchester United’s 4-0 steamrolling of Sabah in the Champions League.
The 45-year-old Manchester United manager oversaw a comfortable win in Europe’s club competition after Champions League football finally returned for the Red Devils.
Sabah collapsed at half-time after Matheus Cunha broke the deadlock for United before Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko both netted at Old Trafford.
United extended their lead over Sabah to 4-0 in the second half after Lisandro Martinez added his name to the scoresheet in Thursday evening’s encounter.
READ MORE: Mason Mount’s return vs Sabah has all Man Utd fans connecting dots to what Michael Carrick was ‘trying out’
Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United shakes hands with manager Michael Carrick as he is substituted off during the UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 of 8 match between Manchester United and Sabah FK at Old Trafford in Manchester, United Kingdom, on September 10, 2026.
Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Manchester United's Belgian goalkeeper #01 Senne Lammens, Manchester United's Moroccan defender #03 Noussair Mazraoui, Manchester United's Slovenian striker #30 Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United's French defender #15 Leny Yoro, Manchester United's English midfielder #37 Kobbie Mainoo (front row from L to R) Manchester United's Brazilian striker #10 Matheus Cunha, Manchester United's Cameroonian midfielder #19 Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United's Belgian midfielder #18 Youri Tielemans, Manchester United's Argentinian defender #06 Lisandro Martinez, Manchester United's Danish defender #13 Patrick Dorgu and Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes poses for a team photo before the UEFA Champions League football match between Manchester United and Sabah FK at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on September 10, 2026.
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
Michael Carrick singles out the Mason Mount and Andrey Santos midfield dynamic for Man Utd
Mason Mount marked his return for Manchester United by climbing off the bench at half-time and replacing summer signing Youri Tielemans for the second half.
The 27-year-old United No 7 played alongside Kobbie Mainoo for the early stages of the second half before Michael Carrick made another key tactical decision.
Kobbie Mainoo was withdrawn from United’s Champions League clash with Sabah and Red Devils summer signing Andrey Santos was brought on in his place.
Speaking after Thursday’s fixture at Old Trafford, United legend Carrick was happy to see the dynamic between Andrey Santos and Mason Mount resurface.
“We’ve got really good players,” he told TNT Sports, as per BBC Sport.
“It’s nice to get Mason [Mount] and Andrey [Santos]. There are some good connections and we have played some good football through the middle of the pitch.”
READ MORE: Man Utd fans react to Benjamin Sesko theory after performance vs Sabah, all signs point in one direction
Getty Images
Mason Mount and Andrey Santos are both important for Man Utd manager Michael Carrick
Carrick had experimented with the midfield dynamic between Mason Mount and Andrey Santos during the Red Devils’ pre-season summer tour.
Neither Santos nor Mount featured at the World Cup in the summer and Carrick utilised both in the midfield pivot ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League season.
Mount and Santos had briefly crossed paths with one another at Chelsea, but the pair did well with their dynamic for United during the pre-season preparations.
Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo were brought into the mix and matching of the midfield during the tail end of United’s pre-season tour after the World Cup.
It had been suspected that Carrick is keen to use Mount as one of the two midfielders in the pivot or to alternate with Bruno Fernandes in the No 10 role.