31 May 2023 , 10:13
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Simon Jordan has hammered Manchester United's signing of Antony, labelling the Brazilian as "£90m worth of c**p".
The winger joined from Ajax back in the summer after a drawn out transfer saga that went on for weeks, eventually ending with United making Antony the second most expensive signing in their history behind Paul Pogba, although he's struggled to justify his fee.
Antony was a crucial part of Erik ten Hag's Ajax side and his manager clearly felt he could be equally as effective at Old Trafford. A goal on his debut against Arsenal further heightened expectations but since then the winger has failed to produce and often found himself on the bench.
Ten Hag bemoaned the fact that the United hierarchy failed to invest further in January, despite being given more than £200m to spend in the summer on the likes of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez. Jordan, though, was quick to remind the man in the dugout that he spurned that cash on flop arrivals.
He said on TalkSport: "Okay, Ten Hag. You should have spent £170m in August and £50m in January, would that have suited you better? No you decided to fire your bolt early and spend £220m in the August (summer) window. What have you done with that? One of the huge parts of it was Antony.
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When Jordan's previous criticisms of Antony were noted, he replied: "Because he's c**p. He's £90m worth of c**p. He (Ten Hag) spent £220m. What he said was the £220m, thank you I'll have that, but what have you done for me lately.
"None of the reasons why I was unsuccessful in January is down to me. I have not made Antony and he has not delivered outcomes, but I got you to spend £90m on him."
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will Antony come good at United or was he a waste of money? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Antony has been unable to live up to his price tag (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)United were able to secure a top four spot in the final weeks of the season, eventually finishing third having already claimed the Carabao Cup. They could yet add the FA Cup, although they are underdogs to beat Manchester City, but Ten Hag made his views clear on the lack of money spent.
He said recently: "The club knows that if you want to play top four, if you want to compete for trophies in this tough league, you have to invest, otherwise you won't progress because other clubs will. We saw it in the winter. All the clubs around us invested. We didn't and still we made it. So I am really happy and proud of my team."
The likes of Casemiro and Martinez have been crucial to United's improvement this term with both men slotting seamlessly into the starting XI. Antony has been the biggest disappointment though, which is not helped by his mammoth fee.
Ten Hag has defended his summer investment despite continued criticism, reminding outsiders of the times he's produced in big games. "Antony already scored a couple of goals - seven or eight goals - scoring in big games, it’s not bad for a winger, right? In his first season. Also against big opponents like Barcelona, [Real] Betis," he said.