Michael Carrick says Andrey Santos is a dream, and that kind of praise is not usually thrown around lightly for a £50 million summer signing. The midfielder has started every pre-season friendly so far, and the talk around Manchester United is already moving beyond immediate impact and into leadership.

Carrick's view of Santos

Carrick, speaking to manchestereveningnews.co.uk, said: "Andrey, for such a young man to come in the way he's came in, his character, his personality is a dream. Literally, he's a dream. He's so positive, so mature, so switched on; he wants to learn. He comes in straight away and he's trying to help other players and talk in games and communicate in games, and has that personality where he's got a real substance to him, and delighted to have him, delighted to have him when he came in."

He added: "Andrey Santos has brought assurance to the midfield. He wants the ball at all times, drops deep to get on it and has a good passing range."

That is a strong endorsement, and it fits the way Santos has looked in the early weeks. He has already played 293 minutes across his last five matches, with an average rating of 7.32 and a best recent mark of 8.0 in the 2-1 win on 2026-05-19.

Why the captaincy talk is appearing early

The captaincy chatter is not based on one interview line alone. Carrick pointed to Santos' communication in games, his maturity and the way he tries to help teammates straight away. That is exactly the sort of profile staff notice when a young midfielder settles fast.

Santos also has a track record of wearing responsibility early. He has captained Brazil Under-23s on six of his eight caps, and he scored eight goals in 13 games as Brazil Under-20 captain at the Under-20 South American Championships and Under-20 World Cup in 2023.

None of that makes him captain at Old Trafford today, and the club should keep that conversation where it belongs, which is in the future. But it does explain why the idea has surfaced so quickly after a summer move from Chelsea.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →