Manchester United central midfielder Andrej Santos made his unofficial debut for the club in Saturday’s 1-0 pre-season friendly loss to Wrexham.
The Brazilian star recently joined from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a deal worth up to £50 million, as the Red Devils look for a replacement for Casemiro when his contract expires.
In 45 minutes against the Championship side, Santos completed 93% of the passes he attempted, created two chances for his teammates and won four of the six encounters on the ground.
While it wasn’t the overall performance or result that supporters had hoped for, the recent additions to the midfield provided a glimpse of why he was brought to Old Trafford.
Why Manchester United took a risk on signing Andrej Santos
There is no doubt that the Red Devils took a risk by signing Santos for a fee of £50m. This is because this young talent has yet to show that he can perform consistently in the middle of the park.
In the 2025-26 season, the 22-year-old star started just 13 of 27 Premier League games and three of six Champions League games for Chelsea.
After spending the 2024/25 season on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, where he scored 10 goals in the French top flight, Santos was unable to establish himself as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge.
25/26 Premier League | Andrei Santos |
|---|---|
Appearance | 27 |
begins | 13 |
the goal | 1 |
assist | 0 |
Tackles + Interceptions per game | 2.1 |
Ground duel success rate | 68% |
Aerial duel success rate | 45% |
Apart from a high percentage of wins on the ground, the Brazil international failed to show any outstanding qualities on or off the ball in his Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
However, Manchester United will be hoping Michael Carrick can lift his Ligue 1 form after scoring 10 goals and providing three assists in 32 games for Michael Carrick on loan at Strasbourg.
This is therefore a risky move, as his struggles with Chelsea in the Premier League suggest he has never really hit the ground running and could take time to develop into a star at Old Trafford.
Santos is a risky signing who will need time, but the club are currently looking for a player who can make an immediate impact on Carrick next season.
Portuguese newspaper A Bola has reported that Manchester United are one of the teams interested in signing Sporting wing-back Maxi Araujo in the summer transfer window.
According to reports, the Red Devils and Chelsea have made contact with Sporting to explore the possibility of signing the Uruguayan international in the coming weeks.
However, he added that the Portuguese La Liga side wanted something close to his £69m release clause and that neither United nor Chelsea were yet to enter formal negotiations to sign him.
He is an even better talent than Santos and would be a great addition to the squad, so United should push to enter into negotiations with Sporting after making initial contact with the club.
The Brazilian was brought in for big money as a risky player who may not reach his potential at Old Trafford, but Araujo could be a serious addition to Carrick to upgrade the ability he currently has at his disposal.
25/26 season | Araujo (LP) | Show (PL) |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 29 | 38 |
the goal | 5 | 1 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 4 | 1 |
assist | 4 | 1 |
Number of tackles gained per game | 1.9 | 1.9 |
Duels won per match | 5.3 | 4.4 |
Duel success rate | 53% | 56% |
Aerial duel success rate | 43% | 54% |
His form at league level in 2025/26 suggests he has the potential to make a far greater impact than Luke Shaw from the left-back position at the top end of the pitch.
The versatile star, who can play anywhere on the left flank, also featured at the World Cup for Uruguay, scoring two goals and providing one assist in three appearances.
Araujo shined on the world stage this summer, scoring two goals and creating four “big chances” in Sporting’s 11 Champions League games in the 2025/26 season.
He also won 51% of his ground duels and 61% of his aerial duels in Europe, averaging 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game, more than any United player in the Premier League last season.
The 26-year-old star’s performances in the World Cup and Champions League suggest he is ready for the Premier League, but he has proven his quality against the best of the best at club and international level.
Therefore, given his track record at the top level, Araujo would come in as a better talent than Santos and as an upgrade to Shaw with more experience. Therefore, the club should make efforts to finalize the deal.
