Carrick hails £155m midfield trio after Manchester United draw at Leeds

Michael Carrick singled out his new £155 million midfield trio for praise after Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds at Elland Road, with Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans all starting for the second game running.

Tielemans created the opening goal for Bryan Mbeumo, while Baleba and Santos provided the defensive bite in the centre of the pitch that Carrick has been seeking. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half strike earned Leeds a share of the spoils, but the United manager was encouraged by what he saw from his revamped engine room.

“There was a freshness to the group,” Carrick said. “You look at the midfield with Manuel and Andrey — 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. That’s a massive positive for us.”

The 22-year-olds Baleba and Santos have quickly established themselves in Carrick’s plans, having also impressed in the midweek defeat away to Atletico Madrid. Their presence has allowed Bruno Fernandes greater freedom centrally, though the Portuguese midfielder endured another difficult afternoon and was booked for a first-half lunge on Tarik Muharemovic.

Carrick was quick to play down concerns over Fernandes, insisting the captain remains central to his thinking. “He was absolutely fine today, don’t worry,” he said. “He’s an important part of our team, Bruno — he has been for some time, and that’s not changing.”

On Tielemans, who joined on a free transfer this summer, Carrick was effusive. “Really impressed with Youri. Exactly what we thought and hoped for bringing him into the group. His experience, his presence, his personality — Youri’s definitely one of those who’ll do anything you ask him for the benefit of the team. He’s got a huge amount of experience, and he was right there today again at the front of it, leading the team.”

The draw leaves United searching for consistency, though Carrick acknowledged that further reinforcements are still working their way back from injury, suggesting the squad’s depth has yet to be fully tested.