Manchester United’s players are just getting into the swing of the return of club football.
The summer was dominated by the World Cup and United, like most big teams, had numerous players involved in the tournament.
Santos
One player who was not involved was new signing Andrey Santos.
Because the midfielder was not involved in the tournament, United were able to rapidly complete the deal for the player from Chelsea in July.
As a result, he was able to feature early in United’s pre-season games and impressed in the middle of the park.
Santos made his first start of the season against Hull City alongside fellow new signing Youri Tielemans, but they unfortunately lost that game 0-2.
He has had to make do with a place on the bench in United’s last two Premier League matches, as Kobbie Mainoo has returned to full fitness.
Return to national team
Clearly, his performances at Old Trafford so far have caught the eye of his national squad, as Santos has been called up to the latest squad ahead of the end of September international break.
The Brazilians have back-to-back friendlies with Australia at the end of the month, and manager Carlo Ancelotti has decided to give some fringe players a chance.
Speaking on the squad, Ancelotti said, “we prioritized younger players for these friendlies to gather more precise information on everyone. It is possible that, by the time we reach the competitions, players not on this list today could be on the final squad.”
Santos has played six times for his national team, including twice this year, and will be looking to consolidate a long-term position in the squad.
In a surprising turn of events, his United teammate Matheus Cunha was not named in the squad in spite of scoring three goals at the World Cup.
Feature image Michael Campanella via Getty Images
