Andrey Santos made his Manchester United debut on Saturday afternoon in a friendly against Wrexham in Helsinki, and fans have revealed exactly what they thought of their new signing’s display.
The Red Devils kicked their pre-season off with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Welsh outfit, with a well-taken first-half goal from Sam Smith the difference between the two sides. United’s team consisted of a mix of first-team stars and academy prospects as Michael Carrick commenced his tenure as permanent boss of the storied club.
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The likes of Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Bryan Mbeumo and Santos all featured, producing a disappointing performance that clearly highlighted Carrick’s team’s lack of match sharpness at this stage of their preparations for the 2026/27 season.
That said, Santos, who signed from Chelsea for £50 million earlier this month, impressed in his first outing in a red and black shirt.
Andrey Santos Makes Man Utd Debut vs Wrexham
andrey santos
After making 27 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season, the Blues opted to sell Santos to one of their domestic rivals this summer. The Brazilian completed his switch to Manchester in early July, and has since been joined by Youri Tielemans, in what is shaping up to be a midfield rebuild at Old Trafford.
United fans got a taste of what their new man can bring when the Red Devils took on Wrexham on Saturday evening at Helsingin Olympiastadion. Deployed in a double pivot alongside Mason Mount, with 19-year-old Jack Fletcher ahead of them, Santos impressed.
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With Mount pushing forward throughout, the 22-year-old former Strasbourg loanee was often left alone at the base of United’s midfield. Not only did he assume the responsibility of orchestrating the Premier League side’s build-up, but he also swept up defensively, preventing Wrexham transitions on a number of occasions.
Andrey Santos’ Stats vs Wrexham
Touches
55
Accurate Passes
39/42 (93%)
Chances Created
2
Passes into the Final Third
3
Tackles
2
Interceptions
2
Ground Duels Won
4/6 (67%)
This is reflected in the data. Santos completed 93% of his passes and created two chances, as well as making two tackles and two interceptions. This all came in the opening 45 minutes, as he was replaced at the break, along with the other ten United players who started the game.
While he might have hoped for slightly more adventurousness on the ball from Santos, Carrick will be delighted with what his new midfielder had to offer in terms of ball retention and defensive output.
Man Utd Fans React to Andrey Santos’ Debut
Michael Carrick
United fans have a reputation for producing scathing reviews of their players, and certainly won’t hide their true feelings on players’ performances.
Thus, the fact that the overwhelming response to Santos’ outing was positive reflects well on the young midfielder. Supporters of the north-west club took to social media, in their drones, to heap praise on the player’s showing against Wrexham.
One fan wrote on X: “First impressions of Andrey Santos very good – his positioning & intelligence is excellent, always available to receive the ball & does not hesitate to play it forward.”
Another wrote, simply, after witnessing Santos’ first half performance: “Chelsea will 100% regret selling Andrey Santos.”
Meanwhile, one fan added: “Boring half but been very impressed with Andrey Santos. Knew he was good on the ball but it’s refreshing to see how good he is without it too.”
