Harry Maguire has revealed that new Manchester United signing Andrey Santos has caused a stir with his actions in training already at the club. The Brazilian signed a five-year contract after joining from Chelsea for an initial fee of £48million, going some way to replace Casemiro.
Santos is officially the first signing of the Michael Carrick era and has already made an appearance for the club, turning out in last week’s friendly with Wrexham. Maguire, who captained the side and played alongside Santos, admitted he and his team-mates have already been won over by the 22-year-old during their training sessions.
He told Sky Sports Golf: “Andrey played yesterday. He really impressed us in the first week and I think we’ve signed two great players there,” also referencing Youri Tielemans.
Carrick similarly heaped praise on Santos ahead of his first United outing, adding: “He’s settled in really well, he’s a fantastic character. He’s settled in so quickly and he’s buzzing to be here, you can see that.”
Santos watched from the sidelines as United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham after being substituted at half-time. Despite the disappointing result, Carrick had much to say regarding Santos’ initial performance.
He said: “There’s loads of little positives to take from the game. I thought Andrey and Mason [Mount] did some really good things and connected really well. I could see some positives there.
“[At the] top end of the pitch, just because it is a week in, those sharp little movements and bright moments that you are looking for, they come as you progress through the weeks of training. That is what it is. There were good signs from Andrey on his first one, he’s getting in the rhythm and feel of it again, so it was good to see him in a red shirt.”
Santos openly expressed his eagerness to hit the ground running and his enthusiasm for linking up with his new team-mates.
He said: “I can learn a lot too from Bruno [Fernandes], so I’m so excited to play with my team-mates, with Bruno, with Matheus [Cunha], with Kobbie [Mainoo], with Amad, with Diogo [Dalot], with Harry [Maguire], so with everyone.”