Manchester United's Midfield Makeover: Ince's Take on Santos and Mainoo

Paul Ince has never been shy of an opinion, and on Manchester United’s latest midfield makeover he’s delivered another blunt assessment: the £50million move for Andrey Santos has left him “baffled” and unconvinced.

United have already torn up their attack once, spending close to £200m last year on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to jolt a misfiring frontline. This summer, the gaze has shifted behind them. Casemiro has gone, the spine needs rebuilding, and Old Trafford has turned into a revolving door for central midfielders.

Midfield rebuild raises big questions

United pushed hard across the market. Elliot Anderson slipped through their fingers to Manchester City. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes headed for Tottenham. So attention swung to Chelsea’s Santos, a 22-year-old Brazil international with promise but little Premier League proof, and a price tag that made Ince wince.

“They’ve signed the lad Santos from Chelsea for £50m, which is a lot of money for someone like him,” the former United and England midfielder told Oddschecker. “I think the jury’s still out on that one.”

What really jars for Ince is the timing. United already have Kobbie Mainoo, the academy jewel who forced his way into the side last season and looks ready for more responsibility.

“So to spend £50m on a young central midfield player when you’ve got Mainoo coming through the ranks, kind of baffled me a bit,” he said.

United’s business has not stopped at Santos. After backing away from a deal for Brazilian midfielder Ederson, they turned to Youri Tielemans, triggering a £35m release clause to bring him in from Aston Villa. Ince is far more comfortable with that one.

“Obviously Tielemans I think is a fantastic player. More of a Fernandes type of player, but a very good player,” he said, before noting that United are still, in his view, trying to resurrect the Ederson move from Atalanta.

The upshot? A crowded engine room.

“They’ve got a whole load of midfield players in that position which needed to be strengthened,” Ince said. The question now is how Michael Carrick fits them together.

Mainoo at the heart of the debate

For Ince, the key to the puzzle is already in the building. He sees Mainoo as the man to anchor United’s midfield, if Carrick gives him the keys.

“I think he’s the man who can play that role,” Ince said. “He’s young, he’s got legs, he can keep hold of the ball.”

What has changed, in Ince’s eyes, is Mainoo’s mentality and risk-taking. Early on, he felt the youngster played within himself.

“I always thought when Mainoo, when I watched him, he kind of did things easy, got it, passed it,” Ince explained. “When you play that role, and I’ve played that role for 20 years, you’ve got to do more than that.”

The shift came late last season. Mainoo started to snap into tackles, win duels, drive forward, arrive in the box and affect the final third.

“Towards the back end of the season, he started to tackle, win balls, set things up, get himself in the box, make things happen. And he looks a completely different player,” Ince said.

If that version of Mainoo returns after what Ince calls an “immensely disappointing” World Cup with England, United’s midfield might already have its cornerstone.

“So if he can repeat that form this season, then, you know, I think it’d be great for United,” Ince said. “But they’ve got plenty of options in there. So it’ll be interesting to see which way Carrick goes.”

Tielemans, Ederson and Carrick’s dilemma

Carrick’s options are rich, if not entirely balanced. Tielemans offers guile and goals, operating closer to Bruno Fernandes’ territory than as a pure holder. Ederson, should United finally land him, would add power and vertical running. Santos arrives as a high-upside project with a heavy price tag.

“I like Tielemans, I think Tielemans is more of a Fernandes type of player. I like Ederson, I think Ederson was brilliant,” Ince said. With Champions League football back on the agenda, he understands why United are stockpiling quality. But the configuration is still unclear.

Carrick must decide whether to build the structure around Mainoo’s growing influence or lean on experience with Tielemans and, potentially, Ederson and Santos rotating around him. For a club that has spent heavily in the middle of the pitch in recent years, there is little room left for missteps.

Rashford’s future hangs in the balance

Midfield isn’t the only talking point. Marcus Rashford’s future remains one of the summer’s most delicate issues at Old Trafford.

The England forward enjoyed a productive loan spell at Barcelona last season after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim. He scored, he smiled, he looked liberated. Reports now suggest Carrick is ready to hand him a route back into the United side and a chance to restart a career that once seemed destined to define an era.

Ince is desperate to see that happen.

“I kind of feel for Rashford. I really do because I think he’s a fantastic player,” he said. “He can play off the left, he can play off the right.”

Barcelona’s decision not to pursue a permanent deal, followed by their £75m move for Anthony Gordon, hit Rashford hard in Ince’s view.

“And then to go and buy Gordon for 75 million. It absolutely kills him,” Ince said.

Even at the World Cup, there were flashes: a trademark goal cutting in from the left, arrowed into the bottom corner. For Ince, that was a reminder of the talent still waiting to be unlocked.

“He’s got that magic, he’s got that talent,” he insisted.

The solution, Ince believes, lies with Carrick’s man-management.

“I think Carrick can get the best out of him. I really, really do,” he said. “If you just put your arm around Rashford… at the moment he’s a bit unsure of his future. He doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going.”

Clarity, not tactics, might be the decisive factor.

“If Carrick just puts his arm around him and says, ‘Yeah, listen, you know, I want you at the club, I need you at the club. This is where you’re going to play. This is what you’re going to do.’ Then I believe you’re going to see a very, very good Rashford for Manchester United,” Ince said.

“So, fingers crossed that’s the case. But there’s one thing for sure, he is a very, very talented player and if he’s happy, he’ll perform for you.”

Pre-season hints at what’s to come

On the pitch, Carrick’s United have already offered a glimpse of their volatility. A flat 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki opened pre-season with a thud. The response was ruthless: a 5-0 demolition of Rosenborg that showed what this squad can do when the pieces click.

Next comes a sharper test against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm, a fixture that should reveal more about Carrick’s preferred shape and his early calls in midfield. After that, a trio of high-level friendlies against Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan will harden the edges before the Premier League curtain-raiser away to newly promoted Hull City on August 22.

By then, Santos will need to start justifying that £50m fee. Mainoo will be fighting to prove he belongs at the centre of Carrick’s plans. And somewhere in that mix, Rashford will either have been embraced as a central figure in the new project or left wondering, again, where exactly his future lies.