Man Utd chiefs privately concede that two players they spent £85m on were nowhere near their top targets
Manchester United’s key decision-makers have reportedly already conceded that they fell short in the summer window.
Insiders at the club have acknowledged that Andrey Santos (£50 million) and Youri Tielemans (£35m) were ‘a long way down the list’, according to Samuel Luckhurst.
United now having second thoughts over Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans
Although Tielemans was viewed as a relatively risk-free and solid addition, given his experience in the Premier League, the fact he’s 29 is already an indication that INEOS were shopping outside of their target pool of younger players.
As for Santos, he did fit the bill slightly more at 22 years of age. However, he had been on Chelsea’s books since January 2023 and failed to ever cement a starting spot at Stamford Bridge, which should’ve perhaps been a red flag for INEOS.
The Brazilian international is now navigating the same problem in M16, having featured for just 83 minutes across the opening six league gameweeks.
How Santos is faring since swapping Chelsea for United
He started on matchday one due to Kobbie Mainoo having a shorter pre-season than the rest of his midfield counterparts, but has yet to start since.
What’s more concerning, Santos has been an unused substitute for the last three games, with United winless in each.
Santos and Tielemans now face more of a battle for minutes after Carlos Baleba finally made his debut off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
He was one bright spark in the otherwise dismal squad performance, so the former Brighton and Hove Albion star will presumably be deployed from the off in the coming fixtures, starting with tomorrow’s away clash with Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital.
