Ten Hag sold Man Utd’s answer to Andrey Santos for just £500k

For all the frustrations surrounding Manchester United’s recruitment over the past decade or so, how many times has the club been hit with a transfer?

It’s hard to think of many high-profile examples of players who have really broken through after leaving Old Trafford, with Alejandro Garnacho enduring a miserable first season at Chelsea following a £40m summer move.

Those who toil in Manchester have never left a team in the red after promotion, although that doesn’t mean the Red Devils haven’t made the odd mistake or two over the years.

Under Erik ten Hag’s watch, in particular, few seemed to slip the net, and the Dutchman’s lack of faith in a select few looked to have come back to bite United.

Departures – Ten Hag’s biggest transfer mistakes at Man Utd

Whether it was the signing of Antony, Rasmus Hojlund or Sofyan Amrabat, the approach taken under the Ten Hag in terms of incomings was not very fruitful, not least the obsession with additions based on the Dutch or Eredivisie.

Whether the former manager of Ajax was the only one to blame or not, there are questions that should be asked about the players who allowed them to progress, especially those who came from educational institutions.

The most obvious example in that sense remains Scott McTominay, although of all the Ballon d’Or nominees for Napoli, this still feels like the best deal for all clubs, with United getting £30m for a player who was 28 at the time and had just a year left on his contract.

The Scotland star was a player that Ten Hag clearly liked too, although the same could not be said for the likes of Alvaro Carreras, the young Spaniard was often overlooked by the Dutch coach despite United’s struggles at left-back.

Sold permanently to Benfica in 2024, the impressive defender sealed a £40m switch to Real Madrid just a year later, a rapid rise for a man who has never played for the Red Devils.

Back in the midfield unit again, James Garner was sold to Everton for just £9m after making just seven first-team appearances for United, and the young Englishman has since emerged as a real star for the Toffees.

For example, historically, the 25-year-old is ranked fifth in assists and tenth in key passes, looking like the type of player who could be a homegrown solution in United’s midfield.

He’s not the only one either…

Man Utd have already sold their answer to Andrey Santos

With Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes moving on, United are working on a midfield list this summer, having now signed Chelsea’s Andrey Santos.

That interest has come as something of a surprise, although the young Brazilian appears to have been on the club’s radar for some time, having impressed on loan at Strasbourg under Liam Rosenior’s watch.

Acquiring the 22-year-old would not cost INEOS, however, Santos are likely to buy in the region of £50m, having signed Vasco de Gama for £18m in January 2023.

The nature of that asking price may now leave United scratching their heads as to why a certain Maxi Oyedele was let go, the Carrington graduate now plying his trade in Strasbourg.

Still only 21, the Salford-born midfielder was part of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2022, alongside the likes of Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, as he came off the bench in the win over Nottingham Forest.

He then went on loan to Altrincham and Forest Green Rovers, while returning to the first team ahead of the 2024 season, registering an assist in a 2–0 win over Rangers that summer.

It looked like there was a genuine player there, however Ten Hag and co were willing to cash in, seeing Oyedele join Legia Warsaw for just £500k.

Like Garner before him, the Polish international has emerged as a favorite of United captain Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese believed to be “shocked” to see Oyedele sold.

There is no doubt that Fernandes knows a player when he sees one, Oyedele did enough in Warsaw to sign for France last summer.

Injuries have hampered his start to life in Ligue 1, although the man who won the No.8 shirt for Santos in Strasbourg performed well in the last few months of the season, best remembered for completing the trivela against FC Nantes in March.

A versatile talent capable of playing at the back, Oyedele particularly stands out in terms of his passing quality, boasting a 90% pass accuracy in Ligue 1 last term, while playing 5.5 times per game.

That comes from a small collection of games, though such a record compares favorably with Santos’ Ligue 1 average last year, with the South American boasting a pass accuracy rate of 89%, while losing the ball 8.3 times in exits.

Oyedele was a direct substitute for the BlueCo at French side Santos, but could he have been United’s version of Chelsea, had he stayed at Old Trafford?

As has been said, United have rarely been hit by recent transfers, but getting Garner, Carreras and Oyedele to make just seven first-team appearances does not reflect Ten Hag’s ability to judge.