Steven Gerrard Slams Man Utd’s £50m Andrey Santos Signing: “He’s Not a Manchester United Player”

Steven Gerrard has described Michael Carrick’s decision to sign Andrey Santos as a “mistake,” insisting that the former Chelsea midfielder is “not a Manchester United player.”

Gerrard believes Carrick made a “mistake” by signing Andrey Santos, arguing that the former Chelsea midfielder is “not a Manchester United player.” The Brazilian international joined Manchester United from Chelsea for £50 million this summer but has started just one of their six Premier League matches so far this season. After making 47 appearances for Chelsea, the Brazilian international emerged as a somewhat surprising transfer target for Carrick’s Red Devils.

Manchester United were desperate to strengthen their midfield following Casemiro’s departure. After missing out on Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, the club eventually turned to Santos. However, Gerrard doubts whether Santos can solve United’s midfield problems, arguing that the player is “not world-class” and would be “exposed” against the strongest teams in England and Europe.

“I’m not sure Andrey Santos is the right £50 million signing for Manchester United. I just think that, if you’re going to play in Manchester United’s midfield every single week, you expect them to be competing for the Premier League and Champions League titles. Forget about the other cup competitions, because obviously you try your best to win them along the way, but the league and the Champions League have always been the priorities. That’s been the case for decades, certainly from my experience of knowing and playing against Manchester United.”

“Your midfielders have to be world-class. They have to be world-class, and they have to maintain that level consistently, because when it comes to competing for the biggest prizes, look at Arsenal. Declan Rice is approaching that level, and Martin Ødegaard is world-class. They are both world-class players. Liverpool might not be at that level right now, but when they were challenging for titles, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum were players of that calibre.”

“Manchester United need world-class midfielders. They need players with the potential to reach that level or players who are already ready to perform at that standard. I think Kobbie Mainoo is a very good player, but he is still a long way from that level, a long way from being world-class. Santos is a good player, but in my opinion, he is not a Manchester United player. To perform consistently every week and influence games when trophies are on the line, in Champions League semi-finals and quarter-finals, I think he would be found out against Paris Saint-Germain. I also think he would be exposed against the midfielders of Real Madrid and Barcelona.”

“I think he falls a little short, in my opinion. Youri Tielemans is a good Premier League-level player. Bruno Fernandes is the world-class player in that midfield, but at this level, he is fighting a lone battle. I played against Michael Carrick, who was an underrated player. He was among the very best of the best. Roy Keane was world-class. Paul Scholes was world-class. Ryan Giggs could sometimes play in midfield, and he was world-class too. David Beckham could come into midfield and was world-class as well. Wayne Rooney could drop into midfield to add numbers, and he was world-class too. Manchester United’s midfield is nowhere near that level. Nowhere near.”

Santos was left on the bench during Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against a Tottenham Hotspur side reduced to 10 men on Saturday. The result left Carrick’s team languishing in 12th place in the Premier League table.

The Red Devils will return to Champions League action on Tuesday night when they travel to Spain to face La Liga giants Atlético Madrid.