It did not take long for the conversation to turn to Manchester United on TalkSPORT this morning, and Ally McCoist has blasted the club’s recruitment – specifically naming a deal involving Chelsea.

Michael Carrick is on the verge of the sack, despite being applauded by the fans following Man United’s 3-0 hammering at home against Bournemouth. It comes after drawing against Spurs and losing to Como.

Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes have spoken out in public, undermining Carrick’s leadership and his tactics. But McCoist believes the real problem at Old Trafford is recruitment, naming Andrey Santos.

Ally McCoist hammers Man United for £50m Andrey Santos deal

It’s been almost four years since Chelsea signed Andrey Santos from Vasco. After a loan back to Vasco and failing at Nottingham Forest, he joined Strasbourg for 18 months and thrived under Liam Rosenior.

An eight-time Brazil international, Santos returned to Stamford Bridge at the start of the 2025-26 season, but failed to nail down a regular place in the side. He started just 25 of 43 games during that campaign.

Santos has struggled at Old Trafford, and he’s not the only one. But on TalkSPORT, McCoist questioned the deal to sign Santos: “You’ve got to look at the recruitment. The boy Santos, who is paying £50m?

“Who is paying £50m to Chelsea for Santos? Who’s doing that? Some of the decisions they’ve made, some of the signings they’ve made, are non-existent. Not good enough. Absolutely miles off it,” he said.

Ally McCoist is not the only one to question Andrey Santos deal

When the deal was announced, there was a mixed reaction among Chelsea fans – but at £50m, the large majority accepted that it was a good deal for the midfielder. Man United fans have since questioned it.

Steven Gerrard does not believe Santos is at the level required to be a Man United midfielder: “Santos is a good player, but he’s not a Man United player,” while Jamie Redknapp said he shouldn’t have joined.

Ultimately, no Man United player has played well. But when such chaos and disaster is going on at the club, recruitment is immediately questioned, and Santos is the stand-out deal as a huge waste of money.

Averaging a rating of 6.7 in all competitions, Santos needs to stand up and be counted. But just two months into the season, his performances have left a lot of Man United fans unconvinced already.