Man United quickly finding out what Chelsea already knew about Andrey Santos

Chelsea must have been laughing all the way to the bank when Manchester United came calling for Andrey Santos, especially when they put the money on the table.

The Brazilian midfielder was signed for his supposed ball-winning qualities, but his only season at Chelsea did little to suggest he was capable of making the grade at the highest level.

United's decision to overspend heavily on him was baffling, with INEOS seemingly putting too much faith in their data and overlooking far more convincing options available elsewhere. Chelsea will have had few complaints about taking their money though.

Now, Manchester United are quickly discovering what Chelsea already knew about Andrey Santos: he is not yet a Premier League midfielder for a top four club.

The Brazilian impressed during his time at Strasbourg, but there is a question over whether that level is better suited to his current abilities, rather than the demands of the Premier League's biggest clubs. There was hope that the 22-year-old could develop into an effective ball-winning midfielder in England's top flight, although there was always an acceptance that a fee of around £50 million carried a degree of risk.

Site Expert at Red Devil Armada, Joe Ryan, has admitted it has been a tough ride for the Brazilian with the midfielder looking out of his depth like at Chelsea.

“It has been a tough, gruelling start for Andrey Santos at Manchester United, with the Brazilian midfielder failing to make any real impact as the club spirals into the relegation zone.

“What was initially paraded as a smart, data-driven midfield acquisition, has quickly imploded, leaving Santos looking out of his depth in an imbalanced side. There will be hope amongst fans that new head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be able to recapture the Brazilian’s form he showed at Chelsea.”

You could argue that Pochettino wants to turn him into a midfield general in the mould of Mousa Dembele at Tottenham or Conor Gallagher. However, Chelsea fans will point to the numbers as evidence of why that transformation is unlikely.

Across 27 Premier League appearances for Chelsea in 2025/26, Santos managed just one goal and no assists. Six games into his Manchester United career, he is yet to register either, while his passing accuracy has dropped from 90.1% to 89.1%.

His chances created per 90 minutes have increased from 0.57 to 0.82 though, while his defensive contributions have climbed to 12.3 per 90. However, these are marginal improvements that still fail to address the biggest issue: a lack of quality.

Manchester United paid for potential, but so far, they have received exactly the same player Chelsea were happy to sell.