Man Utd flop’s escape chances talked down by elite source as Jose Mourinho prioritises Chelsea raid

Manchester United flop Antony was linked with moves away from Old Trafford this summer and Fabrizio Romano has revealed an update on the winger’s future.

The 24-year-old joined from Ajax for an eye-watering £86m in the summer of 2022 but his reunion with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford has been far from fruitful.

Man Utd’s revamped recruitment team worked hard at getting unwanted players off the books over the summer and various outlets have linked Antony with a loan move to Fenerbahce. The Turkish transfer window is open until Friday.

Reputable transfer journalist Romano has given his thoughts on why he thinks Antony has failed to find his feet with Man Utd, while also discussing what could happen next with the Brazilian.

“In terms of wingers moving out [of Man Utd], Antony has been linked with Fenerbahce but that deal is not happening,” Romano told CaughtOffside. 

“After that, I can’t predict the future, it’s only September, so let’s see how the season goes and then next summer Antony and Man United will decide. There’s no decision made now, he’s staying and he’ll have a chance.

“It’s hard to pin down one reason things have gone wrong for Antony since his move to Old Trafford. My view is that he’s struggled for different reasons – firstly, there was the big price putting pressure on him, then personal issues away from the pitch, while in general, these have also been two difficult seasons for Man United for almost everyone involved, not only for Antony.”

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Mourinho is prioritising Ben Chilwell over Antony

Fenerbahce have been linked with various Premier League players in recent days as they work on deals before Friday’s transfer deadline, but Antony is not someone they’ll be able to get.

Sources close to Man Utd exclusively informed TEAMtalk last week that Fenerbahce’s reported interest in the winger is NOT genuine.

Instead, Mourinho is prioritising the signing of a new left-back to replace Ferdi Kadioglu, who has joined Brighton and Hove Albion on a £25m deal.

We can confirm that Fenerbahce have been exploring a deal for Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, who isn’t part of Enzo Maresca’s plans after falling behind Marc Cucurella in the pecking order.

Fenerbahce want to sign Chilwell on a season-long loan and they could make a late move for the England defender. Chelsea, however, would prefer a permanent sale as they work to balance the books.

Antony has survived Man Utd fire sale

Man Utd have parted ways with 11 players since the end of last season, including big names such as Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay and Mason Greenwood.

The exits helped fund their moves for Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee.

We understand that Man Utd’s summer business is now done despite some transfer windows remaining open, so it will be interesting to see whether Antony is able to fight his way back into the team before January.

The winger said in an interview last month that he is determined to prove his with at Old Trafford.

“It’s there written on paper in my objectives — more work on the right foot, score more goals and assists. I’ll show you these notes one day and you’ll see the results this season,” Antony told The Athletic.

“There’s a lot of things I note down in detail: how many shots I should be making in a game, I can’t lose the ball, I need to score goals and create assists, pass and dribble completions, as well as defensive performance,” Antony told

“I have a lot of objectives. I’m always reflecting.”

Antony is running is out time to prove himself

Antony has played just ONE MINUTE of Premier League football so far this season – a brief cameo at the end of Man Utd’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton.

Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho are all ahead of Antony in the pecking order and that seems unlikely to change any time soon.

Antony has made 83 appearances in total for the Red Devils since joining the club and has scored only 11 goals and made just five assists since.

Clearly, the Brazilian has a lot to do if he is to prove he is worth the huge fee Man Utd paid for him, and that Erik ten Hag was right to insist on his signing in the first place.

You can read a full detailed breakdown on how poor his time in the Premier League has been by following the link below.

GO DEEPER: Antony at Man Utd: The stats behind the Brazilian’s woeful spell since £86m transfer