Two-thirds of Man Utd’s midfield rebuild is likely done with Ederson and Andrey Santos, but how do they fit together?
Having agreed a deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea for an initial £48m, Man Utd finally have a new signing available for the first pre-season game.
If everything goes well, Ederson will also join him, giving Man Utd fans a new look midfield in pre-season.
So, how does Andrey Santos‘ position look next to Ederson in Man Utd’s XI? We break it down.
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Andrey Santos’ position explained
In simple terms, Santos is a defensive midfielder, but not many fans will understand better than Man Utd fans how much the profile of a defensive midfielder can differ.
It’s why Bruno Fernandes was wasted in a deeper role, and why Casemiro was often left on an island under Erik ten Hag.
Santos’ position is that of a defensive midfielder, but he’s more like Casemiro than Kobbie Mainoo.
He likes a progressive pass, averaging almost 15/90 minutes last season despite playing on a struggling team.
Unlike Mainoo, he is not a huge progressor of the ball via his dribbles, while his ability to ghost into the box adds goalscoring to his game, much like Casemiro.
His partnership with Mainoo will be prone to leaving the midfield gap too big or leaving Mainoo with too much to do, but he’s an upgrade on Casemiro’s engine.
If Mainoo managed to thrive with Casemiro next to him, then Santos should be easier to play alongside.
However, where Santos could truly flourish is with Ederson alongside him.
How Ederson is the ideal partner for Santos
Even going beyond the same nationality, Ederson’s style of play is perfectly suited to get the best out of Santos.
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Ederson eats up ground like it’s nobody’s business, making the job easier for his teammates to play with the ball instead of chasing after it.
That’s great news for Santos, who is much better on the ball rather than when he’s plugging defensive gaps on defence.
Much has been written about Ederson’s lack of ability on the ball, but you can improve that, or even cover for it by having ball-players around him.
What is not teachable is the engine, which Ederson has in plenty, and it complements Santos’ style of play perfectly.
Ederson is a player who is basically “plug-and-play” in a team like United, which needs runners but has plenty of players who can do magic on the ball.
His role will simply be to plug the gaps, recover possession, and pass it to the nearest player who can progress it forward.
In Santos, United have added that profile, which adds to Ederson’s style of play perfectly.
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