Jamie Redknapp has said that Andrey Santos is ‘not a Manchester United player’ and that whoever was responsible for his signing ‘deserves the sack’.
Manchester United spent £50m to sign the Brazil international from Premier League rivals Chelsea during the summer, after making midfield targets their priority following Casemiro’s departure from Old Trafford and Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious injury at the World Cup.
Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans also joined Michael Carrick’s squad alongside Santos, but all three midfielders have made inauspicious starts to their United careers. Santos has earned just seven starts for a Manchester United team sitting in the relegation zone heading into the international break.
Redknapp: A ‘sackable offence’
Redknapp doubts the 22-year-old Brazilian is at the level required to play for United and says bringing him to the club was a ‘sackable offence’ by those in charge at Old Trafford.
‘Can I throw one player at you? And this is no disrespect to the boy, because he’s not a bad player, but whoever brought in Andrey Santos, that for me is a sackable offence,’ Redknapp said on The Overlap Daily, sponsored by Sky Vegas.
‘He is not a Manchester United player. He’s a decent player, he’s okay. But they brought [Youri] Tielemans in just after it.
‘What makes them think, “Okay, I’m going to get two midfield players”, when I’ve got [Kobbie] Mainoo there – three very similar players that haven’t got any athleticism to get round the pitch?’
Gerrard’s criticism and United’s woes
When it was pointed out to Redknapp that Manchester United’s director of recruitment Christopher Vivell knew Santos from his previous spell at Chelsea, Redknapp added: ‘Even worse, then. I’d let them off the hook if they didn’t know him.’
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has also criticised Manchester United’s pursuit of Santos, who made just 47 appearances for Chelsea.
‘I’m not sure Andrey Santos was the right signing for Manchester United at £50m,’ Gerrard said last month. ‘I just think to play in Manchester United’s midfield every single game, every single weekend, you’d expect to compete for the Premier League and the Champions League.
‘Santos, he’s a good player, but for me, he’s not a Manchester United player. I think he’s a bit short, that would be my opinion. United’s midfield is way off the level, it’s way off.’
United’s dismal start to the 2026/27 campaign looks set to cost former England midfielder Carrick his job at Old Trafford. Mauricio Pochettino, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss, is the frontrunner to take over at Manchester United. If appointed, Pochettino’s first game in charge of the Red Devils would be a daunting trip to Anfield to face arch-rivals Liverpool after the international break.
