21 February 2023 , 09:04
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Manchester United target Mohammed Kudus has been hailed as a "much better" player than Antony ahead of a potential summer swoop.
The Ajax star, who has risen to prominence in recent months, is enjoying a consistent run in the first-team and continues to showcase his quality. The Dutch giants lost Antony in the summer after the Brazilian successfully followed Erik ten Hag to the Premier League.
Antony had been a star performer in Amsterdam, but has struggled to replicate that quality at Old Trafford despite signing for a huge sum. Ajax look to have found a n able replacement as Kudus, now being given minutes by John Heitinga, continues to contribute with 16 goal involvements in 27 appearances this term.
The Ghanaian scored twice at the World Cup, which further raised his profile, and Ten Hag has now reportedly identified the forward as a target once the season ends with Dutch legend Marco Van Basten claiming Kudus would be an upgrade on Antony.
He said on Ziggo Sport : "I find Mohammed Kudus a much better football player than Antony. Antony has his skills, but he is confused with the things he is trying to do! Kudus has much better technique and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical.
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"He is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team." The Dutch great then added: "In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He’s more fun to watch play."
Mohammed Kudus is impressing with Ajax (Getty Images)Will Antony come good at Man Utd? Have your say in the comments below
Antony has faced his fair share of criticism since making a goalscoring-debut against Arsenal earlier this season. He's been far outshone by Marcus Rashford, scoring just five times and Ten Hag confessed in recent weeks that he wants to see more from his summer recruit.
He said: "I think he's growing. We want him to be also more dynamic, more variable and more direct. We are happy with his improvement in this moment. But yeah there still is more to come and I think he's capable of it, I think it's big potential in him and he has to develop it every day."
Several pundits have been underwhelmed by the winger, who is known for his flash tricks, with Gary Neville among those to call him out. “I want to see more from Antony. But it's just not happening for him at this moment in time and he has got a bit of work to do," he said on Sky Sports.