Michael Carrick says he found a fresh “spine” of Man Utd in two players despite draw vs Leeds

The positives aren’t many for Man Utd this season, but Michael Carrick made a bold claim that a fresh “spine” is emerging at the club.

Just seven points from seven games is hardly an acceptable start for most clubs, let alone Man Utd, who finished third last season.

A draw against Leeds is not the worst result, all things considered, but Michael Carrick is under pressure due to the big picture.

According to him, however, a fresh “spine” emerging at Old Trafford can spark a turnaround soon.

Michael Carrick rates Carlos Baleba-Andrey Santos duo

Carrick deployed Andrey Santos alongside Carlos Baleba for the first time against Atletico in the Champions League, and both did well individually, and together, despite the 2-0 loss.

The positional discipline and energy make an ideal midfield, especially in contrast to Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans, when the centre was left completely open.

Carrick liked what he saw against Atletico, and repeated that trick against Leeds, with the duo playing well again together.

Baleba was the best player on the pitch for Man Utd, and Santos wasn’t far behind, and together, they played a huge role in why Leeds struggled to get going.

There were no rapid transitions and open midfield spaces with those two patrolling the midfield, and their quality on the ball was such that United didn’t miss Mainoo either.

Carrick said after the game that, in those two players, a fresh spine of the team is developing.

He said: “You look at the midfield with Carlos [Baleba] and Andrey [Santos], that’s a pretty fresh spine of the team through the middle of the pitch.

“Both young players are adapting to life at this football club, and I thought both of them were terrific today. I thought they both did really well in midweek. So that’s a massive positive for us.”

The bigger positive here, more than Baleba and Santos’ performances, is that Carrick is finally showing tactical flexibility by being open to changes to his preferred setup.

He identified that his midfield was being overrun, tried to solve it by playing this duo, and is now sticking with it after good early signs. It’s a small thing, but this adaptability will help him as things get tougher.