Andrey Santos: How new United signing fared against Wrexham

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The Peoples Person

18 July 2026

Manchester United kicked off their pre-season with a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday, 18 July.

The Premier League giants

included

their new signing

Andrey Santos

in the travelling squad for the game, generating excitement among fans about a possible debut. The young midfielder arrived at Old Trafford last week from Chelsea as part of a midfield revamp following Casemiro’s departure.

INEOS have also

signed

Youri Tielemans to strengthen the middle of the park, while Karl Darlow has been brought in to bolster the goalkeeping department. However, neither of them was available for the pre-season tie against the Championship side.

Santos, however, was fit enough to feature and was included in the starting XI, stationed alongside Mason Mount in midfield. Harry Maguire wore the armband in the absence of Bruno Fernandes, who is on extended leave following his involvement at the 2026 World Cup.

Contrary to expectations, Wrexham made the brighter start, with United looking a little off the pace. The Championship side had begun their pre-season earlier than the Red Devils, and this was evident at the beginning of the game.

The Premier League giants, however, grew into the game and had some good moments of their own. However, it was the Welsh side who took the lead through Sam Smith in the 39th minute, going into the break with a slender lead.

Carrick changed his entire starting XI at the break, fielding academy stars, including Toby Collyer and Shea Lacey.

The Red Devils

piled on the pressure on Wrexham in the second half and soon took control of the proceedings.

However, a breakthrough eluded them, and Wrexham held on to secure a narrow victory. Despite the defeat,

Michael Carrick

will be pleased with the performance of his new midfielder, Santos.

Santos gave a good impression of himself in the first 45 minutes. The Brazilian had 55 touches of the ball, with only Harry Maguire (58) managing more for United.

Santos

attempted 42 passes with a 93% passing accuracy and registered two key passes. He managed two long balls, one of which was accurate.

The 22 year old was engaged in six duels, winning four of them, gave the ball away four times, and was fouled once. The Brazilian also made two interceptions and won two tackles.

Santos also attempted one dribble, but it was unsuccessful. While the Brazilian failed to register a shot, it was a decent start to his spell with United.

Source:

Sofascore

United really need Santos to hit the ground running next season, given that they are going to be competing on four fronts, including the Champions League. Following the

Brazilian’s

good start in a makeshift starting XI, fans have every right to be hopeful for the future.

Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images

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