Nicky Butt questions Manchester United's £50m Santos deal after Chelsea midfielder's limited starts

Manchester United have agreed a deal worth up to £50million to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos, but former United midfielder Nicky Butt has publicly questioned whether the Brazilian is worth the price tag.

United reached an agreement for an initial fee of £48million, with £2million in potential add-ons. Santos made 43 appearances for Chelsea last season but started only 13 Premier League games for a side that finished tenth. The move comes less than two weeks after Casemiro’s contract at Old Trafford expired.

“If he’s brought in at £25-30 million you could understand it, Man United need to build a squad,” Butt said. “But he’s not being signed for £50m to just be sat on the bench, he has to be a starter. I’ve seen him play a few times but nothing stands out that makes you go, ‘Wow, he’s got great ability on the ball or he’s a powerhouse’.”

Butt acknowledged the signing could yet prove inspired, but said the evidence so far does not inspire confidence. “It’s either genius by the recruitment team and they’re saying, ‘This lad is going to be the next big thing, we’ll pay the £50m quick and throw him straight in the deep end’. But by virtue of him only starting 13 games for Chelsea last year, who finished 10th, it doesn’t scream out a good signing to me. I hope I’m wrong, I hope he turns out to be a great player and blows us away.”

Butt also drew comparisons with other midfield transfers completed this summer. Elliott Anderson joined Manchester City in a £116million deal, Sandro Tonali signed for Tottenham Hotspur in a move worth up to £100million, and Mateus Fernandes also joined Spurs for a reported £85million fee — all players Butt regards as more proven quantities.

“You’re looking at other players who have gone to other places — they’ve been proper players in the Premier League and they look like they’ve played in the division for 10 years,” Butt said. “This lad’s barely played 10 games. It’s not one I’m jumping around going, ‘What a signing’. We need players in midfield that make us a lot better. They’re buying potential over someone that’s done it.”

Santos is expected to sign permanent terms at Old Trafford, with United’s recruitment team apparently convinced the 20-year-old Brazilian represents a long-term investment despite his limited top-flight exposure.