Man Utd flop told ‘he will be sold’ as Ten Hag is trolled for signing star whose value has dropped £60m

James Marshment 25 Sep 2024 9:57 AM

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag, winger Antony

Erik ten Hag has failed to get the best out of Antony at Man Utd

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been scolded over the signing of Antony, with the Brazil winger described as “better suited to other leagues” and that he is now “playing for a transfer away” from Old Trafford.

The Red Devils paid a whopping fee worth an initial £80m, rising to £86m (€102m, $115.2m) for the 24-year-old during Ten Hag’s first summer at the helm, convincing club bosses to splash the cash on the player to ensure he followed him to Manchester United from Ajax.

But the winger’s time in a United shirt has not exactly gone to plan, with Antony rarely showing why he was worthy of such a hefty fee – the second-largest in the club’s history – and having only managed a mere 12 goals and five assists from his 84 appearances to date.

Indeed, he only has one start to his name this season – against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup – and has just four minutes of Premier League action to his name, appearing as an injury-time substitute in the 2-1 defeat at Brighton back in August, leading TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole believes the writing is on the wall for the 16-times capped Brazil international.

“The problem with Antony at Manchester United is I think he’s a player that is perfect for the Dutch league,” Cole said.

“I think the physicality of the Premier League is something he struggles with. He’s a talented footballer with great technique and skill, and it was good to see him playing well against Barnsley.

“But I don’t see him making an impact in the United starting team this season and I can’t see him turning it around at Manchester United.

“With Antony, I think he’s playing for a move away from the club and I think United will move past him.

“He’s not an old player and he should be coming into his prime in the next few years, so I think he’s probably best suited to other leagues.”

Antony asking price has rapidly declined at Man Utd

Having had to take some time out of the side last season to battle some personal problems – and a serious accusation of assault from a former partner – Antony promised he would be back to his best this season and that his name would only be seen on the back pages and in a positive light.

However, that has not worked out and he is behind Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford in the United pecking order.

More worryingly, Transfermarkt place his current value at a modest £20.8m – more than £60m lower than the fee paid to Ajax just 25 months ago – and his current form suggests they would be lucky to get even that.

Cole’s comments come fresh off the back of a recent scolding by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan who has bluntly called the 24-year-old a “waste of money” and having hit out at Ten Hag for signing him in the first place.

“Of course, there is a pressure and, of course, there is an expectation because if you spend big money on players, naturally you expect big outcomes,” Jordan said.

“If a £25m footballer doesn’t succeed, there’s less noise around it. In this instance, with Antony, at £25m, he would have been a bad buy because he’s been poor and everything about him has been poor.

“He’s brought nothing. What has he brought to Manchester United beside headlines? Certainly nothing on the football field.

“So, at £25m, you would be saying it’s a waste of money, at £85m, you’ve got to look at the manager and ask why he bought him, especially as he knew him.”

Barcelona told to sign top Ratcliffe target / Luke Shaw branded ‘big problem’

With United’s purse strings now controlled by minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionare has illustrated a new-found frugality with the club’s cash, showing over the summer he would meet Everton’s demands when it came to top target Jarrad Branthwaite.

The Toffees defender remains a dream signing for the United chief though and a future move to prise him from Goodison Park can not be ruled out.

However, they could face new competition for his signature from Barcelona amid claims by pundit Pat Nevin that the Catalans should consider a move to sign him.

Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson’s former No 2, Rene Meulensteen, believes the club now have a major ‘problem’ with Luke Shaw that they will almost certainly have to address next summer.

The left-back has not played for the Red Devils since February owing to a series of injuries, while his understudy, Tyrell Malacia, has not fared much better.