Antony at Man Utd - Ten Hag demand, Fernandes spat and 'YouTube' criticism
Whenever Manchester United sign any player, an enormous amount of pressure ensues upon them to deliver. When they cost £86million, there's even more.
Unlike Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire and Romelu Lukaku, the club's previous budget-busting singings, Antony was relatively unknown before his name appeared on the back pages in the weeks following Erik ten Hag 's appointment at Old Trafford. Ten Hag was the man to bring the Brazilian winger to Ajax as a teenager in the summer of 2020, and the Dutch giants were well aware of the new Red Devils boss' desire for a reunion in Manchester.
Having already poached team-mate Lisandro Martinez for an hefty £57m, Ajax held firm at their asking price for Antony and the deal seemed off, as United turned their interest to Cody Gakpo - then of PSV Eindhoven and now of Liverpool. That was until back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford, prompting the Old Trafford hierarchy to submit to Ajax's demands and break their all-time transfer record after the player went on strike to push for the move.
If you tipped it to be a hotly-debated transfer, you weren't wrong.
Soaring start
Signed, sealed and delivered, Ten Hag wasted no time in unleashing the Brazil international on Arsenal for his full debut. Deployed in his preferred position on the right flank, Antony met expectations and made a start in living up to his price tag - one which has been blamed by clubs around the world for over-inflating the transfer market - by managing to score just 35 minutes into his Premier League bow.
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Two more goals in the next pair of top-flight games - one of which was a sizzling long-range strike during the 6-3 humiliation at the hands of rivals Manchester City - made him the first United player to score on his first three Premier League appearances. There was a dwindling amount arguments over whether the 22-year-old, who made his name as an exciting attacker while starring for Sao Paulo in his homeland, was worth the hassle.
Have your say! Will Antony eventually live up to his price tag at Man Utd? Join the debate in the comments section.
Antony made a superb start to life with a goal on his Man Utd debut (Getty Images)Spinning out of control
His soaring start was a promise of more, but the inevitable rough patch soon arrived. Starting a home clash with Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League, Antony felt the confidence to put on a show for the Old Trafford crowd. Pulling off two trademark spins with seemingly no reason to do so, the mercurial talent completed his pirouette to woos from spectators - but embarrassingly passed the ball out of play.
It prompted a sigh and shake of the head from his manager, and prompted fury from a United legend, Paul Scholes. Having already labelled Antony a "one-trick pony" in reference to constantly cutting inside on his left foot, Scholes blasted to BT Sport: "I don't know what he's doing. It's ridiculous. It's showboating... That's not skill or entertainment, it's just being a clown!"
Ten Hag hooked him at half-time and vowed to "correct" Antony. The ex-Sao Paulo starlet didn't feature again for United until after the World Cup due to injury, meaning he had plenty time to defend his samba skills. "We are known for our art," Antony wrote on Instagram. "And I won't stop doing what got me to where I am!"
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker also leapt to his defence, tweeting: "It's great. Love seeing skills on the pitch. Football is entertainment and supposed to be fun."
Antony's skill was branded "ridiculous" (BT Sport)
Erik ten Hag's reaction said it all (BT Sport)Promising return
Enduring Brazil's quarter-final heartbreak at the World Cup with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Croatia, Antony returned to a wintery Manchester with the bit between his teeth. 2023 started with a bang for him, enjoying another brief scoring run with strikes against Everton and Charlton in cup competitions to extend the Red Devils' winning run to eight games and boost their chances of silverware.
His goalscoring feats were rendered more impressive when it emerged that he'd been involved in a motorway car crash on New Year's Eve. "I feel relieved as in the last few days I had a shock," Antony told TNT Sports after helping United beat Everton in the FA Cup third round a week later. "It was a personal matter, really hard but I'm very grateful to God for putting this behind me now."
Since his display of mental fortitude, though, it's been downhill - and rapidly. Largely anonymous in the Manchester derby, the former Ajax prodigy failed to help United make it 10 wins on the bounce in a frustrating 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, instead making headlines for argument with his own team-mate and captain.
It took Antony just three minutes to score in his first game since being involved in a car crash (Offside via Getty Images)Selhurst spat
Angry with Bruno Fernandes after the stand-in skipper played a wayward pass, the duo got into some verbal sparring midway through the fist half. As Antony appeared to call Fernandes a "mother******" in their native Portuguese tongue, fans began to wonder if a rift was forming. Celebrating together when the latter gave Ten Hag's the lead soon after, all seemed well and according to their boss, it was much ado about nothing.
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"They are both players who play with the heart and, when they bring that in the game, they are on their best so it's always a kind of balance," Ten Hag cleared up. "And always between players, sometimes emotions flare up but I think, in the second moment, they are already good with each other so that is not a problem. I think definitely the players are not frustrated with [Antony]."
The Dutchman may claim that United's players aren't frustrated with him, but supporters and pundits certainly are.
Antony appeared to call Bruno Fernandes a "mother******" (Sky Sports)
The Man Utd midfielder had misplaced his pass (Sky Sports)Here come the critics
Four days after the draw away to Palace, Antony flopped again in the visit to Arsenal which was billed as a match which could have huge implications on the Premier League title race. Losing 3-2 thanks to conceding a last-minute goal for the second successive game, former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand lost his patience.
"The concerning thing for me with somebody like Antony is that he can't beat anyone – and for a Brazilian that's surprising," Ferdinand bemoaned on his FIVE YouTube show. "He just doesn't beat anyone and I'm sitting there thinking, 'Was that always the way?'
"I've seen clips of him when he was at Ajax and he was somebody who used to beat people. I saw [Thomas] Partey – who I wouldn't put down as like a roaster, a sprinter – absolutely burst past him, and I'm thinking, 'Woah, he [Antony] hasn't got much power in them legs!' So, yeah, he's a tricky winger, but tricky wingers – you want them to still be able to beat the defender.
While there was already a mounting wave of criticism before the ex-United centre-back offered his verdict, his remarks appeared to give license for fellow pundits to go in on the struggling star. "Is Antony a YouTube footballer'?" Former Premier League striker Darren Bent was asked on TalkSPORT. "A little bit yeah," he replied. "You clip all the best bits of a footballer and you look at it on YouTube and go 'wow, I can't believe we’re signing him!'
"But where's the substance in between, where’s the end product? I know he started off alright at United, couple of good goals, but where's the end product?"
Antony flopped in a crucial clash with Arsenal (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Rio Ferdinand is baffled by Antony (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)Legends issue their demands
Next up after Arsenal was Wednesday's crucial semi-final first leg at Nottingham Forest, a tie which the Red Devils knew would be vital in their bid to end a near-six-year trophy drought. Antony got the nod in Ten Hag's starting XI to the surprise of some supporters, but once again flattered to deceive at the City Ground.
Although his saved shot led to Wout Weghorst scoring United's second of the night before Fernandes made it 3-0, Antony rarely had the beating of his marker and squandered a series of opportunities. The match gave Old Trafford icons Gary Neville and Roy Keane a chance to weigh in with their respective takes on the £86m man, as Neville urged him to mix up his style of play like Man City star Riyad Mahrez, another left-footed right-winger.
"I've been thinking a lot about Antony in the last few days," the former Red Devils defender began while on commentary duty for Sky Sports. "He needs to develop that Mahrez side of things to be able to go both ways. At the moment he's still a little bit predictable in trying to always force it onto his left foot."
Keane, meanwhile, added: "He's got to learn from playing for a big club like Manchester United is, off the ball, working a bit harder. He needs to help his team-mates a little bit more, but that will come to him."
Antony flattered to deceive against Nottingham Forest (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Gary Neville wants Antony to emulate Man City star Riyad Mahrez (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)Ten Hag's take and Antony's firm response
With the debate in full flow and seemingly everyone having their say, the two voices which truly matter spoke up. Firstly, Ten Hag defended his signing but also challenged him to improve. "When [Antony] is playing, the team is winning and that already gives a message I think how well he is performing," the United manager declared ahead of the trip to Nottingham.
"He can do better, I see space for improvement and, for instance - and I think you notice - we want him to be more direct, more involved. But the team is performing better if he is on the pitch and that is a good thing, a good base to build further on.
"I think he already makes improvement, he scored some goals, he scored in his first three games, now he scores against Everton and Charlton, so he has an impact. But I think with his capabilities, with his talents he can do even more. He has a good contribution in the team."
Erik ten Hag wants more from Antony (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images))After the 3-0 victory over Forest, Ten Hag appeared to be encouraged with Antony's performance, declaring: "I think he played a really good game. I think he was a threat in between the lines, he was good in the physicality, he had some good actions to go at the opponent. He had to score (in a one-on-one) but it was a great combination."
Amidst his gaffer's words of wisdom, Antony has taken to social media to express his determination, vowing to give everything to silence his critics and bring the glory days back to Old Trafford. "Seeking to evolve to give my best to the team," he affirmed. "It has always been a dream to be here and I will give all I have to honour this club because we are stronger together!"
United fans have come to know more than most that social media musings are about as pointless as Antony's spin against Sheriff, so he'll need to do his talking on the pitch as a seismic few months dawn.
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