Manchester United‘s midfield was once the envy of the Premier League, not least during their treble-winning pomp in 1998/99, with Paul Scholes and Roy Keane forming the centre-piece of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Now, United are down to the bare bones in terms of pure central midfielders, with Manuel Ugarte’s injury blow only further limiting Michael Carrick’s options, following Casemiro’s recent free-transfer exit.
In need of depth and reinforcements, the INEOS regime have turned their attention to one of Casemiro’s compatriots, with Andrey Santos set to join from Chelsea on a £50m deal.
The Brazilian wouldn’t necessarily have been at the top of anyone’s midfield list heading into the summer, but what could he bring to the table at Old Trafford next season?
What Man Utd can expect from Andrey Santos
Well, first things first, what’s happened with Ederson? The man who was only a late addition to Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, having been parachuted in as a back-up right-back for Brazil, looked set to sign from Atalanta.
He’s an all-action, relentless type of midfielder, someone who could have provided some much-needed mobility alongside Kobbie Mainoo.
Just look to his stellar display in the 2024 Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen, a night in which he completed 100% of his tackles, 100% of his attempted dribbles and won eight out of 12 duels.
Alas, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, that deal now appears to be off by all accounts, with the 27-year-old in line to return to Bergamo despite undergoing a medical.
That leaves Santos as the man expected to be the first incoming of the summer, the young Brazilian seemingly a talent with far greater potential and far more impressive goalscoring exploits.
It’s been a stop-start spell for the 22-year-old at Stamford Bridge, but his talent came to the fore while out on loan at Strasbourg, notably scoring and assisting 13 Ligue 1 goals in 2025/26.
Three of those ten goals came via his head, suggesting the youngster can fill Casemiro’s void in that regard, while he is also something of a duel-winning machine himself, winning 68.7% of his ground duels in the Premier League last term – the best return of any midfielder in the division.
Plenty to like then, even if not the marquee name that was expected, with United looking set for the midfield shake-up that has long been needed.
What Santos could mean for Man Utd stars
Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes remain central to Carrick’s plans, while an exit for Ugarte appears unlikely now, amid the expectation that the Uruguayan will face an extended period on the sidelines.
The Old Trafford side can’t really afford any midfield departures, considering the lack of depth, although one man who could slip even further down the pecking order when Santos arrives is Mason Mount.
Like Santos, Mount was plucked from Chelsea on a bumper deal back in 2023, with Erik ten Hag and co forking out an initial fee of around £55m for a player with just a year left to run on his existing deal.
|
Mount – PL Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games (Starts) |
Goals (Assists) |
|
25/26 |
23 (12) |
3 (0) |
|
24/25 |
17 (8) |
1 (0) |
|
23/24 |
14 (5) |
1 (0) |
|
22/23 |
24 (20) |
3 (2) |
|
21/22 |
32 (27) |
11 (10) |
|
20/21 |
36 (32) |
6 (5) |
|
19/20 |
37 (32) |
7 (5) |
That fee, considering his contract status, certainly raised eyebrows, as too did the decision to hand the Englishman the club’s famed number seven shirt.
There was undoubtedly merit in recruiting the Cobham graduate, with Mount impressively rising through the ranks in west London, shining as the Blues won the Champions League in 2021, while also starting in the European Championship final that same summer.
Even in Qatar in 2022, the versatile playmaker was still a favourite of Gareth Southgate, yet four years on, the 27-year-old hasn’t featured for his country since then, so frustratingly hamstrung by injury.
In his Chelsea pomp, he was even hailed by Roy Keane as looking “like Paul Scholes” due to his technical quality and passing prowess, notably ending 2021/22 having reached double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League.
“We’ve been praising this lad now for the last number of years, the way he plays the game, almost like Paul Scholes, plays like a kid on the street, it all comes very easy for him,” Keane on Mount to Sky Sports.
Sadly, despite the odd brief high point – including his brace against Athletic Club last year – Mount’s time at United has been a tale of injury woe, starting just five, eight and 12 Premier League games, respectively, since joining the club.
He did look set for a renaissance under Ruben Amorim, having been repeatedly singled out by the Portuguese coach, yet the experienced midfielder hasn’t ever been able to enjoy a consistent run of games.
Part of the issue is the debate over his best position, with the presence of Fernandes blocking his path to sealing a number ten role, while he appears unsuited to a deeper-lying berth.
Against Sunderland toward the tail-end of the campaign, Carrick did deploy Mount alongside Mainoo, although that pairing didn’t seem to flourish, the ex-Chelsea man losing the ball 12 times from just 57 touches, while winning only four of his 12 total duels.
With Santos a more natural fit in that number eight role too, it leaves Mount looking like a spare part again.
Not quick or dynamic enough to be a winger. Not truly creative or reliable enough to challenge Fernandes in the playmaking berth. Not powerful or physical enough to operate as part of a midfield two.
It would be wrong to suggest that there isn’t a player in there somewhere, yet three years on from moving to Manchester, it feels like Mount’s time has already come and gone.
