Andrey Santos officially makes Manchester United debut

Andrey Santos signed for Manchester United at the start of this week, joining the club from Chelsea in a deal worth £50m.

The midfielder, who only joined the Blues last summer, made 47 appearances for the London-based club last season, scoring three goals and providing five assists.

The 22-year-old also represented Brazil in a series of friendlies in March/April but did not make the World Cup squad for the tournament, which is coming to a conclusion.

Full focus, therefore, has been on the upcoming season for the midfielder as he looks to build on the experience gained at Chelsea and use it to make himself a higher quality player.

Under the leadership of Michael Carrick, Santos will play in United colours in the upcoming season across a range of competitions including the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.

He will wear the number 17 shirt in these games, a number previously held by Fred.

Now, as the new campaign approaches, Santos has officially made his debut for the side.

After being named in the travelling squad for the first-team’s opening pre-season fixture against Wrexham, the 22-year-old has been named in the starting eleven for the game meaning he will make his debut for the club.

This is a significant moment for the midfielder, even if it is just a pre-season fixture. Whilst a signal of the manager’s confidence in him, it also gives him a chance to gain match minutes against a high-quality opposition.

Manchester United are due to play further pre-season fixtures in the coming weeks, including against Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, where Andrey Santos may gain further match minutes.

As the midfielder’s time at Manchester United continues to develop, pre-season may be seen as the first major landmark in the road to success.