Mason Mount is impressed with what he’s seen of Andrey Santos and believes he will make a positive impact at Manchester United.
The two featured for United in Friday’s 5-0 thumping of Rosenborg, which marked the side’s second pre-season friendly of the summer.
Why United decided to sign Andrey Santos
After missing out on both Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, as well as pulling out of an agreed deal for Ederson, United ignited a swift pursuit of Santos, whom they’d been keeping a close eye on throughout last season.
While Chelsea weren’t pushing to offload the youngster in the same way they did for Alejandro Garnacho, there was an acceptance that he would want to leave due to the heavily reduced role he’d been playing at Stamford Bridge.
Given Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, both of whom commanded transfer fees over £100 million, are two of the first names on the teamsheet, there’s been little to no room for Santos to stake his claim in West London.
Andrey Santos in the #UCL 😤 pic.twitter.com/VZzghiLlV5
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) July 9, 2026
How Santos fared last term for Chelsea
Last season, for example, the 22-year-old was limited to 13 Premier League starts and was an unused substitute for 10 matches.
He accumulated only 1,255 minutes of top-flight action and completed just four full 90s, making it no surprise he was considering his future as soon as the transfer window opened.
Andrey Santos doubles Chelsea's lead over Spurs! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/0m2u1bAM6H
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 19, 2026
Santos’ frequent omissions and lack of action also led to him missing out on the opportunity to add to his six senior Brazil caps at the World Cup.
What did Mount have to say about Santos?
Yet, he’s now preparing for a new era at the heart of Michael Carrick’s midfield, and Mount has high hopes for how the youngster will fare in M16.
“I’ve known Andre for a while. I’ve watched him from afar, since he’s obviously broken into the first team at Chelsea. I think he’s a really good player. As you said, he reads the game very well,” said Mount.
“I know he’s young, but he’s very experienced in going out on loan and playing in the Premier League as well. He reads the game very well. He’s a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more forward in these last two games and work off him.”
Andrey Santos vs Rosenborg
( 61 mins )
pic.twitter.com/LE0OeEXsOc— ّ (@thn70x) July 25, 2026
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