Man Utd chiefs 'accept' Antony transfer mistake as John Murtough concerns emerge

11 January 2023 , 21:38

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Man Utd chiefs 'accept' Antony transfer mistake as John Murtough concerns emerge

Old Trafford chiefs have acknowledged Manchester United paid over the odds to sign Antony from Ajax last summer, according to reports.

However, they remain confident the Brazil international can live up to the huge fee United stumped up, which could rise to £86million. Antony, 22, scored his fifth goal for the Red Devils in their Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Charlton before being taken off on the hour mark.

However, the youngster has not made the impact the United hierarchy hoped he would, while Erik ten Hag branded one incident of showboating as "ridiculous". Antony has plenty of time to become a hit in Manchester and club supremos insist the reasoning behind signing him was sound.

According to ESPN, the club's scouts did not locate many left-footed options to bolster their attack, with Antony one of just three to make the shortlist. Further, director of football John Murtough and other members of staff were pleased with the player's desire to reunite with former Ajax boss Ten Hag in the Premier League.

One final reason for the signing last summer was that the United hierarchy was concerned that numerous European giants would be searching for a player of Antony's profile in 2023. This could have driven the price up further, so the Red Devils opted to steal a march on their continental rivals.

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So, while the reasoning for bringing Antony to Old Trafford is sound, United are expecting more from their talented winger during the second half of the season - and the campaigns to come. Ten Hag stressed Antony has plenty of room for improvement after he scored in the 2-1 victory over Everton in October.

Will Antony live up to his mammoth price tag at Manchester United? Have your say in the comments!

Antony of Manchester United (Getty Images)

"He is a young player we have to develop, but he has to develop himself," Ten Hag said of Antony. "We have to expect more from him. He needs challenges. That's why he came to the Premier League. He will step up. In the first weeks, he's scored goals, he did good stuff, but also I see a lot of room for improvement in his game."

United are expected to sign Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley to bolster their attacking options in January, following Cristiano Ronaldo's exit in November. However, Ten Hag insists he already has enough firepower at his disposal, picking out Antony's recent scoring run to illustrate his point.

"I'm convinced players can do it like Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes," the Dutchman said. "Alejandro [Garnacho] can do it, Antony can do it. Antony has scored twice in a row, so I think we have enough players to score goals."

Freddie Keighley