Why major Andrey Santos worry should be ignored after Manchester United transfer

Man United announced the £50m signing of midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea on Monday.

Life comes at you fast and in no time at all Andrey Santos has gone from being a player on the fringes of the Chelsea squad to a £50million signing for Manchester United. It didn’t take long for the scrutiny to begin after the signing had been announced.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of excitement about it, is there?” Paul Scholes said on his The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. “Why are Chelsea selling him, a 22-year-old kid?” Others have pointed to his relatively slim CV. The most appearances he has made for a club so far came at his boyhood club, Vasco da Gama (49).

Santos joined Chelsea in 2023 before being immediately loaned back to the Brazilian club. Having returned to England, he joined Nottingham Forest on loan. That loan spell at the City Ground has set alarm bells ringing for some United fans, as Santos made just two appearances.

But his disappointing spell at Forest should not be used as a reason to doubt his potential.

Then Forest head coach Steve Cooper addressed the Brazilian’s situation in December 2023 and his response sheds light on the saga. “I’m not too sure about what’s been said (about Santos not playing),” he admitted.

“Of course everyone would have liked Andrey to play more. He is a really good young player, but there isn’t a load of players his age who are playing regularly in the Premier League.

“It is the sort of situation where if he was our player, he would be in the perfect situation of being in and around the first team, looking to involve him and giving him some exposure when you can, but knowing you are developing him and getting him ready. The context to it is he isn’t our player, he is Chelsea’s, and that probably just adds a few question marks to the situation, which I understand.

“I take individual youth development personally. It means a lot to me because of my background and where I spent a lot of my coaching years.

“That will be no different with Andrey. In terms of the training programme, yes, game time has been very minimal. But I think the question has come up because we’re not his parent club.

“But he’s a fine young player with a bright future. I really hope that whatever happens – even if he hasn’t had much game time up to now – he can take some positive experience from it.

“I repeat, not many players his age are playing loads of minutes in the Premier League.”

At the time, Santos was just 19 and Forest were battling to stay in the division. This was the Brazilian’s first taste of football in Europe. Trying to make an impression in that environment is incredibly difficult, especially for a young South American loanee.

Should the blame for Santos’ struggles at Forest lie with him? Probably not.

Chelsea must take responsibility for the choice of loan club. The margin for success was so small that, unless he hit the ground running immediately in the Premier League, his minutes were always going to be limited.

The switch to Strasbourg in 2024 would have made more sense from the outset. He enjoyed regular playing time at the French club and even wore the captain’s armband.

That shows the power of making the right decisions with young players. Throwing him straight in at the deep end was unwise, as proven by the lack of opportunities.

What impact Santos has for United next season remains to be seen. But judging him on the Forest loan spell would be unfair.