Jason Wilcox has taken huge flack from Manchester United players and supporters with rival Premier League teams now questioning his transfer decisions

Manchester United's summer transfer business continues to be questioned with fresh reports claiming that Andrey Santos should have cost half the £50million agreed with Chelsea. The Brazilian was one of three midfielders to arrive at Old Trafford ahead of the 2026/27 season with Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba also joining.

Fresh off a superb season at Aston Villa, the former costing just £35m looked to be a bargain but he has had a difficult start to life at Old Trafford. Baleba, who signed for the club injured, cost twice that fee which drew criticism, particularly following a mixed last campaign at Brighton.

Santos, meanwhile, had not featured too regularly until the injury suffered by Kobbie Mainoo but he has looked out of place in United's midfield. The 22-year-old joined Chelsea in January 2023 but managed only 47 senior outings before his July move to United.

Considering his potential and the inflated transfer market, the £50m price tag seemed reasonable for United and director of football Jason Wilcox, but it has since emerged that Chelsea viewed it as an excellent piece of business.

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According to The Athletic, sources close to the Blues believe he was worth only half the £50million they pocketed for his departure.

Their assessment suggests that for United, the spending reflected a market where prices had soared, and the acquisitions were crucial for bolstering squad depth. There's also a case to be made that Santos and Baleba are young enough to continue their development.

Nevertheless, one United source involved in recruitment said: “Jason is cool-headed, very smart and pays close attention to details.”

Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were among other Premier League midfielders linked with United who ended up elsewhere. The latter pair both moved to Tottenham for a combined £185m, while Anderson's switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City set a new transfer record for an English player at £116m — albeit until Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea.

United lacked the financial muscle to splash such sums on a single player, with a return to the Champions League likely influencing the decision to prioritise quantity over quality.

Kobbie Mainoo has remained as Carrick's go-to choice in the middle of the park and is expected to partner Santos against Aston Villa on Sunday. It's already evident that pairing him with Tielemans in midfield isn't effective, while Baleba looks set to be sidelined through injury.

Speaking on the latter after he was helped off earlier this week, Carrick said: "I haven't got any more news on Carlos at this stage, but it's his hamstring. We'll have to assess what that looks like, but initially, it doesn't look great."

Carrick retains the option of deploying Tielemans in a more advanced midfield position to compensate for his limitations in terms of pace and mobility when operating deeper. This tactical shift has resulted in Bruno Fernandes being pushed out wide to the right before ultimately being left out of the starting XI completely.

Fernandes has since been restored to the first team for recent fixtures against Chelsea and Roma, netting his first goal since early September in the latter encounter. He also delivered the cross that set up Matheus Cunha's first goal, while Shea Lacey provided the assist for his match-winner.

After an impressive substitute appearance, there are growing demands for the young United talent to be handed a starting berth ahead of Amad, who has registered just one assist since his comeback from injury last month.