According to the Manchester Evening News, Andre Santos, who joined from Chelsea for £50 million, is Manchester United's most talked-about new signing this summer.
The 22-year-old Andre Santos was initially met with some skepticism when the trade was finalized, but his performance in the preseason and his excellent character in the locker room quickly dispelled any doubts.
The Brazilian player is likely to start in Manchester United’s first Premier League match against Hull City, as he has started in all of his preseason friendlies so far.
It is widely expected that Michael Carrick's midfield will be comprised of Santos, Yuri Tielemans, Mason Mount, or Kobe Maynu.
On the pitch, Santos brought a noticeable confidence and composure to Manchester United's midfield; he always took the initiative to ask for the ball, dropped back to receive it in deeper positions, and delivered passes of varying distances.
He believes he has the ability to develop into a top-class defensive midfielder in the number 6 position and looks forward to succeeding Casemiro in this role.
But Santos' influence extends beyond the field. His leadership and maturity impressed the coaching staff in training and in his interactions with teammates.
Carrick spoke highly of him, using words rarely used by head coaches to describe young players. Carrick said, "The way he joined the team, his character and personality are simply perfect for a young player. He is truly an outstanding and ideal player."
Carrick added, "He is very positive, very mature, sharp-minded, and eager to learn. He will immediately take the initiative to help his teammates and constantly communicate with them during the game. He is very sincere and determined, and we have been very happy to have him since the moment he joined the team."
Manchester United has changed its transfer strategy in the past two transfer windows, now placing just as much emphasis on the character traits of new players as on-field technical abilities.
This approach seems to be starting to work, with the team being more harmonious and united than under Eric Ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
Santos seems to have perfectly integrated into the personality and atmosphere of the Old Trafford dressing room. During the preseason, he was very talkative and communicative on the pitch, especially giving instructions to his defensive teammates.
This is quite rare for a midfielder who is only 22 years old, and it shows that he is already willing to take responsibility and lead his teammates after just arriving in the Premier League.
Santos has demonstrated such a strong and direct influence in such a short time that it's not an exaggeration to talk about him becoming Manchester United's future captain, even though he hasn't played a competitive match for the club yet.
Besides being young and eager to learn and gain experience in English football, he already possesses many leadership qualities.
Santos moved from Brazil to England in 2023, initially playing for Chelsea. He had previously played for Vasco da Gama, but it didn't take him long to adapt to the new environment.
At the national team level, Santos has made 6 appearances for the Brazilian senior team so far, and if he can maintain his preseason form, that number will soon increase.
The Brazilian Football Confederation also admired his leadership qualities, and he wore the captain's armband many times in various youth teams.
Santos captained Brazil's U23 team in six of the eight matches he played. He also captained Brazil's U20 team in the 2023 South American U20 Championship and the U20 World Cup.
In those two competitions, Santos scored 8 goals in 13 appearances as captain of the Brazilian national team, proving that even when he was in the attacking position, he possessed the captain's qualities to influence the game and lead the team.
These statistics show that Santos is fully capable of playing a more attacking midfield role, but his future at Manchester United seems to lie more in deeper, defensive duties.
In Carrick's 4-2-3-1 system, he plays as a shield midfielder and seems to be the closest to the role of a deep midfielder responsible for controlling the tempo and helping the team control the game.
Santos has the qualities needed to accomplish this task, and even more, which is why he has been highly praised since arriving at Old Trafford.
Although he has not yet played a single official match for Manchester United, given the impact he has made in such a short time, it is not an exaggeration to discuss him as the team's future captain.
Bruno Fernandes will continue to wear the captain's armband for now, but the captaincy will likely change in the coming years. If Santos continues to develop at this pace, he will be one of the strongest candidates.
