Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at the Nya Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Saturday, 8 August, in their fourth pre-season tie.
The Red Devils arrived at the game buoyed by their recent impressive run in pre-season. After starting their summer preparations with a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham, United bounced back by securing a 5-0 win over Rosenborg.
The English giants then secured a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid last weekend and arrived at Saturday’s game hoping to make it three wins in a row. Michael Carrick made one change to the team that was impressive against Los Rojiblancos, with Noussair Mazraoui replacing Leny Yoro at right-back.
With Bruno Fernandes and new signing Youri Tielemans on the bench, the Red Devils had plenty of quality to take on Luis Enrique’s side and that was exactly what they did.
United held to a 1-1 draw
United started the game well, but were stunned when PSG scored in the second minute through Ibrahim Mbaye. It was a repeat of the Atletico Madrid game, but like at the Strawberry Arena, the English giants refused to bow down.
The Red Devils piled the pressure on the opposition, but suffered an early setback after Mason Mount picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Tyler Fletcher in the 20th minute. Nevertheless, United continued to play their natural game and pegged the Ligue 1 champions back for much of the half.
The Premier League giants’ efforts finally bore fruit in the 32nd minute, when Bryan Mbeumo found the back of the net after some impressive work from Amad. Tielemans finally entered the pitch in the 65th minute, along with Bruno Fernandes and others.
United did have a few opportunities to secure a win late in the game, but it ended 1-1. While the result was not what Carrick would have wanted, the performance of new signing Santos will certainly please the Red Devils’ manager.
Another decent outing from Santos
Santos continued to make his presence felt in the middle of the park and covered a lot of ground once again. He had 44 touches of the ball, the most of any United player until he was substituted, attempting 37 passes with a 95% passing accuracy.
The Brazilian did not register any long balls or key passes in the game, but put up a fight in the middle of the park. He was engaged in seven duels, winning three of them while losing possession three times. He was also dribbled past once.
Santos registered five defensive actions, including one clearance, one block and one interception, while also making two tackles. The player did attempt one dribble, but it was unsuccessful.
The former Chelsea man was on the pitch for 64 minutes before being replaced by Tielemans. By then, the Brazilian had managed to impress once again, and he already looks like a fantastic addition to Carrick’s squad.
Andrey Santos Stats vs PSG
| Statistic | Andrey Santos |
|---|---|
| Touches | 44 |
| Accurate Passes | 35/37 (95%) |
| Key Passes | 0 |
| Crosses (Accurate) | - |
| Long Balls (Accurate) | - |
| Duels (Won) | 7 (3) |
| Ground Duels (Won) | 6 (3) |
| Aerial Duels (Won) | 1 (0) |
| Possession Lost | 3 |
| Fouls | 1 |
| Was Fouled | 1 |
| Offsides | 1 |
| Defensive Actions | 5 |
| Clearances | 1 |
| Blocked Shots | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Tackles (Won) | 2 |
| Dribbled Past | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 0 |
| Shots off Target | 0 |
| Shots Blocked | 0 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 1 (0) |
Source: Sofascore.
Final Thoughts
Santos has taken no time to find his feet at Old Trafford since arriving this summer. As things stand, the Brazilian is likely to be in the starting XI for the Premier League opener against Hull on 22 August at the MKM Stadium.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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