Andrey Santos’ first game for Manchester United ended in defeat as Chelsea’s Premier League rivals lost 1-0 to Wrexham.
Santos was named in quite a strong starting XI, which featured the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and another former Chelsea star Mason Mount.
United may have lost the pre-season friendly, but Santos was still able to put in a performance that would have encouraged supporters of the Red Devils.
Andrey Santos shone in Manchester United’s pre-season defeat to Wrexham
What really stood out about Santos’ performance was his passing. According to Sofascore, the midfielder managed to register two key passes.
In total, he attempted 42 passes and completed 39 of them, giving him a pass success rate of 93%. Any Chelsea fans watching would not have been surprised.
In a blue shirt, Santos rarely did anything outstanding on the ball. However, in possession, he was always neat and tidy.
United will be hoping that they can get even more out of the 22-year-old. When their director of football Jason Wilcox spoke about Santos upon his arrival, he highlighted that the Brazilian can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
Chelsea supporters did not see him influence the game in attack too often, but at Strasbourg, he was a box-to-box midfielder who made tackles and scored goals.
Is it too early to say Chelsea have made a mistake selling Andrey Santos?😬
Back to the Wrexham game, Santos also made a couple of interceptions and won four out of six ground duels. He has the traits of a No.6 and No.8, and it will now be quite fascinating to see how he gets on at Old Trafford.
Is Santos a £50m midfielder, or have Chelsea done a number on United? Only time will tell, but the early signs are looking good for United.
As for Chelsea, Blues fans will have some concerns about Santos’ departure. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are two of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but Xabi Alonso needs cover for them, while there is no guarantee that the latter will even be in west London next season.
Chelsea still have Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, but both players struggled to stay fit last term. As a result, many Chelsea supporters wanted the club to keep hold of Santos.
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