‘Another Kleberson!’ ‘What Does He Offer?’ Man Utd Fans Raise Concerns About Summer Signing
Andrey Santos hasn’t had a particularly strong start to life at Man Utd following his £48m summer move from Chelsea.
Head coach Michael Carrick dropped him after the 2-0 defeat to Hull City on the opening day, and his only other start so far has come in the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton.
Santos has plenty of time to turn things around, but fans on X are still wondering why so much money was spent on the midfielder:
Another Kleberson!
— Sammy Kambale (@bwisimba) September 21, 2026
One of the worst bit of transfer businesses we have done in recent times. We let Fred leave 3 years ago only to bring in another Fred for 50m. Chelsea scammed us way good.
— Anubhav Bhanja (@anubhav417) September 21, 2026
The question is what does Santos brings to the table? What does he offer 🤔
— Iris Addison (@IrisAddison10) September 22, 2026
This transfer was just Sir Jim funding the club he loves.. Chelsea!
— sandro 🇾🇪 (@mufcluvr7) September 21, 2026
Donny van de beek 2.0
— loyalty (@Heartforever39) September 21, 2026
Does Carrick rate Santos?
You do wonder what sort of input the manager had in recruiting the Brazilian international. He had been a target prior to Carrick’s arrival as caretaker back in January.
Therefore, you have to assume that the signing was recommended by the recruitment team, and Carrick has gone along with the decision.
The head coach has recently praised Santos for his attitude, but he clearly has doubts about whether he can start him at the moment.
Man Utd have another midfielder ready to make his mark
Santos could find himself even further down the pecking order after the international break. Carlos Baleba made the matchday squad for the first time last weekend after recovering from an ankle injury. He was an unused substitute during the 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Once he is up to speed, there is an expectation that the Cameroon international will play on a regular basis under Carrick. His dynamism and ability to get around the pitch gives him the edge, at least in terms of physicality, over Youri Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and even Santos.
For that reason, the Brazilian has it all to do to prove to his manager that he should be in the first eleven ahead of others.