Manchester United's £50m signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea has already drawn questions after just 175 minutes of playing time, while Manchester City's £86m recruit Ayyoub Bouaddi has played 187 minutes with far less scrutiny.
Santos, 22, arrived from Chelsea in the summer, but his limited involvement has sparked debate among fans and pundits. Bouaddi, 18, joined City from Lille in the same window and has made two starts, the same as Santos, but has accumulated 12 more minutes on the pitch.
Why the difference in scrutiny?
The intense media interest in United means expectations around new signings are greater. United are the most written about club in England, and new arrivals are expected to hit the ground running, with a morbid fascination around whether the club have signed another dud.
City fans, on the other hand, are less concerned about their club's stature. City spent a league-high £458m during the summer, while United spent £150m. United spent a third of their transfer budget on Santos, while City committed 18 per cent of their budget on Bouaddi.
Santos's start at United
Santos looked sharp in pre-season and deservedly started on the opening day of the season against Hull before losing his place against Ipswich. Manager Carrick picked Youri Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes in midfield for that 5-2 win, a combination he stuck by against Everton, Sabah, Manchester City and Fulham, only making a tweak against Brighton in the Carabao Cup when Santos and Mason Mount came into the team.
Santos disappointed against Brighton, but he was not the only one to underperform. Carrick had earlier praised Santos during a pre-season sit-down just outside Dublin, saying: "Andrey, for such a young man to come in the way he's come in, his character, his personality is a dream."
Scholes weighs in
Paul Scholes recently explained on a podcast that when United spend a large chunk of their transfer budget on a squad player, it is inadvisable. "Santos, Baleba, they've brought players in that physically they may be better. Santos played 11 games for Chelsea, they paid £50million for him. But he's not getting into the team, now Baleba might make a bit of difference," he said.
"But again, if you're recruiting at the start of the season for Manchester United, it should be for players that you think you can go and win the league with. I think they're a million miles away."
United remain confident Santos will be a success. He has grown close to the South American contingent in the group and settled in well after his move from London, but more will be expected on the pitch after the break.
