Paul Ince 'baffled' by £50m Andrey Santos transfer as Man Utd legend issues verdict on Marcus Rashford return

Speaking to Oddschecker, Ince expressed his reservations about United spending £50 million to acquire Santos. The Brazilian departs Chelsea having made 47 appearances, scoring three goals and providing five assists across a turbulent spell that included loan stints at Vasco da Gama, Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg. With Casemiro departing, United have targeted reinforcements, but Ince feels the hefty fee is misplaced.

"Whether [Manuel] Ugarte comes back, I don’t know, but they’ve signed the lad Santos from Chelsea for £50m, which is a lot of money for someone like him. I think the jury’s still out on that one," Ince explained. "So to spend £50m on a young central midfield player when you’ve got [Kobbie] Mainoo coming through the ranks, kind of baffled me a bit."

United have also brought in Youri Tielemans by triggering a £35m release clause, adding further bodies to Carrick's engine room. Ince praised Tielemans but reiterated his belief in Mainoo's ability to anchor the midfield, provided he builds on his recent development. Last season, Mainoo established himself with 30 appearances, contributing one goal and three assists for United.

"Obviously Tielemans I think is a fantastic player. More of a Fernandes type of player, but a very good player," Ince said.

Regarding Mainoo, he added: "Towards the back end of the season, he started to tackle, win balls, set things up, get himself in the box, make things happen. And he looks a completely different player."

Aside from midfield changes, Rashford's future remains a significant talking point. The forward impressed during a loan spell with Barcelona, registering 14 goals and 14 assists, but his permanent future is unresolved following his struggles under Ruben Amorim. Ince is confident that Carrick can unlock his true potential. "I think Carrick can get the best out of him. I really, really do," Ince stated.

"If Carrick just puts his arm around him and says, 'Yeah, listen, you know, I want you at the club, I need you at the club. This is where you’re going to play. This is what you’re going to do.' Then I believe you’re going to see a very, very good Rashford for Manchester United."

United will look to build momentum ahead of the new Premier League campaign. After bouncing back from an initial defeat with a 5-0 victory over Rosenborg, they face Atletico Madrid in Stockholm this weekend. Further warm-up clashes against Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan await before kicking off their domestic season away against Hull City on August 22.