15 March 2023 , 23:56
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Manchester United have been accused of transfer "madness" with their decision to spend £86m on Antony heavily criticised.
The Brazilian has excelled at Ajax and opted to follow Erik ten Hag to the Premier League after a lengthy saga. The Dutch giants were reluctant to sell one of their star players, but eventually allowed the player to leave after United paid the second-highest fee in their history.
Antony scored on his debut against Arsenal, but has since struggled for consistency with his hefty price tag continually being used against him. Current PSV chief Marcel Brands believes the likes of Gabriel Jesus, who left Manchester City for the Gunners, represent market value, but maintains that Antony's fee was excessive.
He told BNR : "If you compare it with transfers that were realistic, such as that of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City to Arsenal: that was also around that rate (£45m). Those are normal amounts. I think everyone in football knows that Antony was a madness. I think Raphinha is an even better player than Antony, but he left for much less (£55m).
"Of course it was a financial issue. But on the other hand you also have to be realistic. If Liverpool come for Gakpo and promises have been made, you can't stop that. Madueke was not planned and not expected, but it came a lot of money on the table and it was Chelsea. That's when we made that choice."
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Antony faces plenty of competition in Manchester with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho all options for Ten Hag once they're all fit. There's also talk of United bringing in a natural No 9 this summer.
Should Antony be a starter for Man Utd currently? Have your say in the comments...
Antony has struggled to consistently produce in Manchester (PA)The Dutch coach however has defended his summer signing, whilst also confessing there is room for improvement in his game. “When he’s playing, the team is winning. That already gives a message of how well he is performing,” he said previously. “He can do better, I see space for improvement. For instance, and I think also you know this, we want him to be more direct and be more involved.
"But, as I said, the team is performing better if he is on the pitch. That’s a good thing, that’s a good base to build further. I think he has already made an improvement."
Antony has made 29 appearances in all competitions - with 26 of those coming as a starter. He's notched seven times, including the winner over Barcelona in a heavyweight Europa League tie at Old Trafford.