Pundit Jamie Redknapp has stressed that Andrey Santos is not good enough for Manchester United, adding that whoever sanctioned his signing deserves to be sacked.
Santos’ progress
Santos joined United in the summer from Chelsea in a deal worth around £50m. United forked out a guaranteed £48m plus an additional £2m in add-ons.
Chelsea inserted a 10 per cent sell-on clause, which will enable them to benefit from any future sale of the player.
Heading into the summer window, United’s priority was to bolster the midfield and Santos represented their first acquisition. United also signed Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba from Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.
Although Santos had a positive pre-season, his displays since the commencement of the campaign have been inauspicious. Positive glimpses have been evident, but there is a perception that he is capable of offering much more.
The Brazilian has made 10 appearances across all competitions, including six in the Premier League.
| Stat | Andrey Santos |
|---|---|
| Club | Manchester United |
| Current club | Manchester United |
| Seasons | 2026/27 |
| Apps | 10 |
| Minutes | 556 |
| Clean sheets | 1 |
| Clean sheet % | 10.00 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Goals per game | 0.00 |
| Assists per game | 0.00 |
| Yellow cards | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 |
Speaking on The Overlap, Redknapp questioned the wisdom of signing Santos. He branded it a massive recruitment mistake.
Redknapp’s Santos claim
Redknapp said, “Can I throw one player at you?”
“And this is no disrespect to the boy, because he’s not a bad player, but whoever brought in Andrey Santos, that for me is a sackable offence.”
“He is not a Manchester United player. He’s a decent player, he’s okay. But they brought [Youri] Tielemans in just after it.”
Redknapp added, “What makes them think, ‘Okay, I’m going to get two midfield players’, when I’ve got [Kobbie] Mainoo there – three very similar players that haven’t got any athleticism to get round the pitch?”
When it was put to Redknapp that the signing may have been driven by Christopher Vivell, who knew Santos from his Chelsea stint, he was even more critical.
“Even worse, then. I’d let them off the hook if they didn’t know him.”
Santos and his teammates are next in action on November 22 when they face Liverpool at Anfield.
Featured image by Alex Pantling via Getty Images
