Antony told to cut out 'stubbornness' as Ten Hag slammed for playing £82m flop
Antony has been warned he must change the way he plays to have any hope of salvaging his Manchester United career.
The £82million winger is on course to become one of the biggest flops in Premier League history, with a solitary goal in his last 24 games. Signed for a vastly inflated fee from Ajax in the summer of 2022, Brazilian Antony has failed to live up to that price tag, with United fans losing patience with him.
One of the major criticisms of the 23-year-old Brazilian is his reliance on his left foot, making him predictable for opponents to defend against when he cuts inside onto it from the right. Former United striker Louis Saha said Antony must adapt his style if he is to succeed.
Saha, who won two Premier League titles during his five year spell with United, also claimed boss Erik ten Hag is culpable for his poor form by continuing to play him on the right.
“There's a bit of stubbornness in the way Antony plays. When you have a predictable style, you have to change it up. Whether it's him, his manager or even his entourage, everyone can see he needs to change something," said Saha.
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“But Antony isn’t willing to change. The manager keeps playing him right wing and Antony is sticking to the same thing. I’m sorry, at some point, it becomes the responsibility of the manager because it’s not normal.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Antony by dropped by Erik ten Hag? Comment below.
Antony has been slammed for his dreadful performances for Manchester United (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)“Maybe he could try playing him on the left and getting him, with his magic left foot, to cross the ball in between the goalkeeper and defender, let’s see what happens. They have a striker who is willing to commit in that area and they will have a better chance of those weak crosses or half a shot that he attempts from the right.”
Saha also said Ten Hag should know by now that playing Antony on the right of United's attack does not work and that something must change – starting with the player learning to use his right foot.
“It’s difficult to understand how many more games you need in that configuration to see this formula isn’t working for Antony,” Saha told Paddy Power. “If Ten Hag still wants to keep Antony on the right wing, I would force him to only train with his right foot for two weeks.
“That will introduce a bit of diversity to his game and he'll control the ball with his right foot without thinking about it. He might even cross with his right foot and, when he’s struggling on his left, he can do a dummy and go on his right foot.
“That’s what his game needs - diversity. Until he understands that, he’ll keep struggling in the Premier League. He needs to be forced to do things that he isn’t comfortable with - it's got to be an obligation.”
Louis Saha was speaking to Paddy Power https://www.paddypower.com/football
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