The father of Chelsea signing Andrey Santos says he is inspired by Brazil and Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

The youngster, who joined the Blues in January before returning to former club Vasco da Gama on loan, is in line to make his senior Brazil debut after earning a first call-up to the squad.

Santos recently captained Brazil to success at the South American Under-20 Championship and is now looking to make the step up, and the 18-year-old's father says playing alongside idol Casemiro is an aim for his son.

"He targets Casemiro a lot," Andre Santos told UOL. "It's part of his position. Possibly they can play together for a few minutes there."

Chelsea had hoped young Santos would be granted a work permit upon arrival in January to be integrated into their first-team squad, but his application was narrowly denied. A return to Vasco da Gama was the player's decision.

"When Vasco came, he was already very confident, it was what he wanted," father Andre explained.

"We didn't question it at any time. The decision passed through him and, afterwards, it was also a family decision."