Paul Merson has taken aim at Manchester United for their decision to spend €56.3 million on Chelsea star Andrey Santos this summer.

The Red Devils prioritised midfield reinforcements during Michael Carrick’s first full transfer window in charge and Santos was one of three players picked to bolster this area of the pitch, with Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans also moving to Old Trafford.

The Brazil international was dropped from Carrick’s favoured starting XI following Man Utd’s opening day defeat to Hull City in August, but he has started each of the club’s last five matches across all competitions amid Kobbie Mainoo’s absence through injury.

However, Santos was a bit-part player at Chelsea last season, and Merson has slammed Man Utd’s decision to make him one of their marquee summer signings.

“I don’t see them getting relegated, absolutely not. But this is not Manchester United and there’s no quick fix, they got it all wrong upstairs,” Merson told Sky Sports.

“The first window, they went for the forward line but it wasn’t good enough. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, they’re nice players but they’re not 20-25 goal-a-season players.

“You’ve got to be a seven, seven and a half out of 10 every week at Manchester United. But they’re a four one week, a nine the next. You can play for Wolves or Brentford and do that, no disrespect.”

He continued: “The midfield they bought – I’d love to see what they saw paying £50m for Andre Santos. Tell me what you saw that I didn’t when I was watching him every week at Chelsea

“Youri Tielemans, he’s a good player but there’s no legs around him in the team. He had legs around him when he was playing at Villa.

“How do I know there’s no balance in the midfield they’ve bought and they don’t? Two years ago, you’re looking at Casemiro and saying he’s a million miles off it. Now you look at it and think they miss him.

“And now they say they’ll work on the defence in the next window. It’s madness – you can’t build a house on a puddle. You just can’t. Why not start with the defence first and then go from there?”’

Who will Man Utd sign in 2027

As mentioned, Man Utd are expected to prioritise defensive reinforcements next year, with the club set to add at least a new left-back to their first-team squad as they look to provide competition for Luke Shaw.

A new central defender will also be pursued as a replacement for Lisandro Martinez, who is expected to depart after taking aim at the club’s hierarchy for their lack of investment over the summer.

Meanwhile, Man Utd may bolster their ranks with a new striker if they are able to find a buyer for Joshua Zirkzee.