Manchester United midfielder Andrey Santos has struggled for game time since leaving Chelsea to move to Old Trafford this summer. The Red Devils were keen to upgrade their midfield before the start of the new season and began the transfer window by securing the Brazilian’s signature.
The Premier League giants eventually signed Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to further strengthen their options in the middle of the park. Tielemans has been heavily involved so far, starting every game, while Baleba made his debut this weekend in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur after recovering from an ankle injury.
Santos, meanwhile, was an unused substitute once again on Saturday and has now started just two games since his arrival.
Andrey Santos Stats: 2026/27 Season
| Competition | Appearances | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards | Minutes played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 83' |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 66' |
| UEFA Champions League | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 26' |
| Total | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 175' |
Source: Transfermarkt.
With Baleba managing to impress against Tottenham Hotspur, the Brazilian midfielder’s situation could go from bad to worse at Old Trafford. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has now given his opinion on the 22-year-old.
Gerrard delivers Santos verdict
Speaking on The Overlap, Gerrard insisted that Santos is not good enough for United. He said: “I’m not sure Andrey Santos was the right signing for Manchester United at £50m. I just think to play in Manchester United’s midfield every single game, every single weekend, you’d expect to compete for the Premier League and the Champions League.”
“Forget the other cups, because obviously you try and win them as you go along, but the priority is the league and the Champions League. That has been for decades, from whatever I’ve known and competed against United.”
“Your midfield players have got to be world-class, they’ve got to be world-class, they’ve got to be consistently world-class, because when it comes to the business end, you’re going to be competing against, if you go to Arsenal, Declan Rice, for example, he’s creeping into that level, and Martin Odegaard, they’re world-level players.”
“Liverpool, maybe not right now, but when they were challenging for the league, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, that level of player. Manchester United need world-class midfielders, potential ones, or ones that are already ready to play at that level.”
Bruno Fernandes is only world-class player at United
Gerrard went on to state that Bruno Fernandes is the only world-class player in United’s midfield at the moment. He continued: “I think (Kobbie) Mainoo’s a really good player. He’s nowhere near that yet, nowhere near world level yet. Santos, he’s a good player, but for me, he’s not a Manchester United player.”
“To be consistent week in, week out and affect games, when it comes down to when the prizes are given out, or Champions League semi-finals, quarter-finals, I think he’d be found out against PSG. I think he’d be found out against the Real Madrid midfield, the Barcelona midfield.”
“I think he’s a bit short, in my opinion. (Youri) Tielemans is a good Premier League-level player. Bruno Fernandes is the one that’s world-class, but he’s alone in there in terms of that level.”
“I played against Michael Carrick, who was underestimated. He was a top, top player. Roy Keane was world-class. Paul Scholes was world-class. Ryan Giggs used to play in there sometimes, world-class. David Beckham could come in there, world-class. Wayne Rooney coming to overload the midfield, world-class. Manchester United’s midfield is way off that level. It’s way off that level.”
Final Thoughts
Santos has endured a slow start to life at Old Trafford, but it may be unwise to rule him out already. There is plenty of football left in the season and United fans will hope that the Brazilian will justify the club’s decision to invest in him.
Featured image by Naomi Baker via Getty Images
