When Ramon Menezes took interim charge of Brazil’s senior team in 2023, he had no doubt that Andrey Santos was ready for a bigger stage.“He was already playing and behaving like an elite professional, regardless of his age,” Menezes says, reflecting on his decision to hand a senior debut to an 18-year-old Santos — who was captain of the under-20 national side Menezes coached. “He was the (under-20) team’s linchpin.“I was absolutely convinced that the weight of the yellow shirt would not intimidate him.”After moving on from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama to stints with Nottingham Forest, Strasbourg, and Chelsea, Santos is now carrying the weight of a famous red shirt. In July, the 22-year-old signed for Manchester United in a deal worth up to £50million after only one season at Stamford Bridge, and having played less than 1,300 Premier League minutes.It was a surprise move, and an understated one in this summer’s midfield market. United were previously interested in Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, who ended up joining Manchester City for £116m and Tottenham Hotspur for £85m respectively. Chelsea set an asking price of £120m for Santos’ former team-mate Enzo Fernandez. Bruno Guimaraes joined champions Arsenal from Newcastle United for £75m.Casemiro has departed as a free agent, Manuel Ugarte may have been sold and is now injured, and Toby Collyer is in line for either a permanent or loan exit. As The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Wednesday, United are closing in on the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba, who Santos may be competing against for minutes at the base of midfield.Baleba’s higher price tag, and his greater Premier League experience compared to Santos, would seem to line him up as first-choice. However, Baleba is currently recovering from an ankle ligament injury (which is not expected to keep him out long-term) whereas Santos has had most of the summer to bed into the squad. He looks almost certain to start United’s season opener at Hull City on Saturday, and a return to the Champions League presents the opportunity for the two to compete properly for the starting berth given a higher volume of fixtures.After a stop-start Premier League career so far, is Santos ready for a leading role?“I saw the potential for him to move to the Premier League or another European league,” says Igor Henriques Guerra, who coached Santos at Vasco da Gama in 2021 and 2022 in the club’s under-17 and under-20 teams. “There was a lot going for him. Firstly, his mentality — his mindset was that of a professional, of always wanting to improve and wanting to give his all on the pitch.“In terms of leadership, he was always an exemplary player. He really was a role model. He was a player who guided his team-mates on the pitch.”Andrey Santos celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Spurs in May this year (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Guerra describes Santos as “cheerful”, “a player who is always on good terms with everyone”.“Here in Brazil we say “zoar” or “tirar sarro” — to joke around or to poke fun at one another. So he always used to keep the atmosphere cheerful and light-hearted, but when it came to work, he was always giving his all and pushing for more every training session.”Menezes did not work with Santos directly at Vasco da Gama (where he used to play, and returned as an assistant coach and head coach), but saw him in the youth ranks and, once put in charge of the Brazil under-20 team, included Santos from his first squad selection.“Right from the very first training camp, he was given the captain’s armband, thanks to the example he set in terms of technical and tactical dedication,” Menezes tells The Athletic over messages. “He has excellent control of the ball, impressive tactical maturity combined with a natural leadership spirit.”In 2021, aged 16, Santos became the youngest player to make his senior debut for Vasco in the 21st century (a record later broken by Bournemouth’s Rayan).“He made our work as coaches easy,” Guerra says. “He understood the game so well — the little details we highlighted, the tactics we discussed, the things we explained — that whenever a team-mate was doing something that didn’t meet the required standards, he’d offer guidance himself.”Andrey Santos in action for Brazil U20s in 2023 (Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images)It tallies with Michael Carrick’s assessment of the 22-year-old in conversation with journalists last week. “Andrey, for such a young man to come in the way he’s come in, his character, his personality is a dream,” Carrick said. “He’s so positive, so mature, so switched on; he wants to learn. He comes in straight away and he’s trying to help other players and communicate in games.”Santos’ football intelligence, Guerra says, translated on the pitch. “He’s so good at reading the game, so I see that as his main strength; how well he manages to take in information and put it into practice.