Manchester United earned a comeback victory against Atletico Madrid and Michael Carrick had a number of positives to take from the victory with two players impressing
Manchester United boss Michael Carrick ‘must be happy’ with the performances of Mason Mount and Andrey Santos against Atletico Madrid, according to treble-winner Jesper Blomqvist. The duo helped United to a comeback victory against their La Liga opponents.
Bryan Mbeumo got on the scoresheet twice, but the former United ace was impressed by Carrick’s midfield pairing in the club’s third friendly of the summer. The Swede reckons returning stars will be forced to work hard to earn their place in the team
With the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans yet to return to action following their respective World Cup campaigns, Santos and Mount have set about winning plaudits. Against Atletico, Santos broke up play and set the tempo with line-breaking passes, while Mount controlled many of United’s attacks.
The combination gave little reason for Carrick to look elsewhere when they play Hull City in less than three weeks’ time.
“He must be happy with the way the central midfielders have performed,” said Bomqvist told MUTV. “Of course, there’s going to be fierce competition in there for places when everyone is back.
“It’s good that some have played 90 minutes, some have played 70 minutes – that means they are in good shape and ready to go to the next level. The other players still to come back will need to work hard to get back into the team.”
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Blomqvist praised Mount’s efforts during the 2-1 win and highlighted the performance of youngster Shea Lacey. The 52-year-old is hopeful that Mount can continue to build momentum but noted that he must avoid injuries to capitalise on his performances.
“Mason Mount, the way he played both offensively and defensively,” he added. “He played for 90 minutes and looked really sharp which is really, really positive.
“Shea Lacey also had a really good impact on the game. There were a lot of others but for me, these two in particular.
“I think he [Mason] really just needs to carry on the way he’s going and avoid injuries to get the momentum going for him. In the end, he had one nutmeg at the end which was fantastic and you had to stand up and applaud. He’s getting in really good shape.”
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