Andrey Santos has ended a myth that was surrounding Michael Carrick with his comments upon signing for Manchester United.
The first signing of the Michael Carrick era at Man Utd ended up being Andrey Santos, joining from Chelsea in a deal worth an initial £48m.
Santos’ first words upon arriving at Old Trafford can be credited to Ruben Amorim, but he dispelled a myth around his current Man Utd manager afterwards.
Here’s how Santos’ words ended the Carrick vs Amorim debate that was starting to happen with this window.
Andrey Santos to Man Utd is COMPLETE: How do you feel about the deal now Youri Tielemans is signing too?
Andrey Santos endorses Michael Carrick’s pulling power
Last summer, United wrapped up the deal for Matheus Cunha on the opening day of the transfer window.
Then they ended up signing four players, all of whom have been a success, and each credited their talk with Amorim as a key factor in turning their heads.
Therefore, when United’s window was slow to get out of the blocks this summer, many simply alluded to Carrick not having the same pulling power as Amorim.
“Do the players want to play for Michael Carrick?” became a misguided question around the transfer market, disregarding factors like the World Cup, a market with no value, or the merits of patience.
All those myths have been dispelled by Santos upon arriving, revealing how he was enamoured after meeting with Carrick for just 30 minutes.
He said [Man Utd’s YouTube channel]: “I know him [Carrick] very well, he’s a top, top coach. I did a meeting with him, and I remember because it was around 30 minutes, and when I finished, I said, ‘wow, he’s amazing’.”
Ruben Amorim vs Carrick’s pulling power didn’t make sense
Carrick has had a much more accomplished playing career compared to Amorim, and what he did with the same squad that Amorim wanted changed speaks for itself.
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How much is Youri Tielemans worth? How would he fit in?
Therefore, it was always a misguided point to say that Carrick lacked Amorim’s pulling power. United didn’t replace Amorim; they found an upgrade in Carrick.
The same will be truer in the near future when Youri Tielemans signs for the club, as Ineos’ transfer window gains pace with the end of the World Cup.
It was never about Carrick’s pulling power compared to Amorim. The transfer window has a lot of moving parts, with the World Cup being the biggest one this time.
Even if Amorim was the current manager, United would not have spent £85m on Mateus Fernandes or £130m on Elliot Anderson.
Perhaps that’s why he’s not the current manager as well…
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