Andrey Santos has already won public backing from two senior Manchester United voices. Mason Mount says the midfielder reads the game brilliantly, while Harry Maguire says he has settled in well, trained sharply and could have a big future at the club. United paid an initial £48million, with a potential £2m in add-ons, to sign him from Chelsea earlier this month.

Mount's read on Santos

Mount has been clear about why Santos has impressed him. "Andrey is a really good player. He reads the game brilliantly," he told goal.com. He also pointed to the Brazilian's experience, saying he is young but has already played through loans and in the Premier League, and adding that he had watched him since he broke into Chelsea's first team.

That kind of endorsement is useful at any club, but especially at United, who started Santos in their opening two pre-season games against Wrexham and Rosenborg. He and Mount operated in a deeper midfield pivot against Rosenborg, and Mount said he has really enjoyed the role and sees it as a position he loves.

Maguire on the dressing-room fit

Maguire's version is more about the person than the passing. "He's a really nice person, always smiling," he said. "He's come in, he's settled in really well. He's been brilliant in training. I thought he was brilliant in the game as well." He added that Santos is still very young, but has a big part to play in the club's future.

That is the more interesting part of this transfer story. United did not spend an initial £48million for a player they expect to ease in slowly, and the early signs are that Santos has already done enough in training and in his first appearances to earn trust from people inside the dressing room.

United's wider picture is not exactly calm either. They finished 16th in the 2026 Premier League table after ending the 2025 season in third, so early cohesion around a new midfielder is not a luxury. Santos' latest run is small, but he has 97 minutes across his last five matches and an 8 rating in his most recent appearance, which fits the impression Mount and Maguire have given publicly.

The real test comes once the season proper starts, but Santos has already taken the first step United wanted from him. The club's next pre-season work will tell us more, but the early message from Mount and Maguire is plain enough: he has arrived quickly and been taken seriously.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →