Fulham 0-1 Man Utd: Match review
Manchester United could have the perfect opportunity to offload Antony if Erik ten Hag’s striker search directs him towards a familiar face. Ten Hag is reportedly losing faith in the Brazilian winger just 14 months after splashing £85million to lure him from Ajax, and he could send him back to Amsterdam to help sign another of his former players.
Antony scored important goals against Arsenal, Everton and Barcelona in his maiden season at Old Trafford.
But he has done little to convince fans and United that he is worth even half of his sizable price tag, which made him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history after Paul Pogba.
After failing to produce a single goal contribution in 10 appearances this term, Antony’s Red Devils record stands at eight goals and three assists in 55 games.
And according to the Mirror, Ten Hag is willing to offer Antony to Flamengo on loan for the remainder of the season as part of negotiations for Gabriel Barbosa.
The report claims a permanent exit is unlikely, but Flamengo are keen to return Antony to his homeland, with Barbosa moving in the opposite direction.
It’s claimed the 27-year-old is valued at £20m, with his contract set to expire next summer, but offering Antony in return would likely cut that asking price.
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Ten Hag is said to want competition for Rasmus Hojlund, who has failed to score in eight Premier League appearances since his £72m summer arrival.
The United boss reportedly wants a more experienced option to support Hojlund’s development and relax the goalscoring burden on his current misfiring attacking ranks.
But the path could be clear for Ten Hag to reunite with Brian Brobbey, especially if United can offer Antony back to Ajax.
Ten Hag handed the 21-year-old his Ajax debut in 2020 before he left on a free transfer to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021.
Brobbey returned to the Dutch Eredivisie giants in January 2022, making his return permanent in a £14m deal last summer.
He scored 13 goals in 32 appearances under Ten Hag, and after opting to join Ajax on a permanent deal, claimed that the Dutch coach tried to take him to Manchester.
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But despite branding United a dream destination, the Netherlands international stressed that he had unfinished business at Ajax.
“Dream club? Manchester United,” Brobbey told Voetbal International after Ten Hag’s attempts to sign him.
“Erik sent me a message, yes, to congratulate me and to tell me that he would like to have me at Manchester United. But I’m not finished at Ajax yet. I want to show something here first.”
It would be a damning black mark on Ten Hag’s recruitment at United to send Antony back to Ajax on loan so soon after splashing such a large sum of money to make him the club’s long-term right winger.
But if Brobbey is now more willing to leave Ajax amid their disastrous season, it’s a deal that could work wonders for all parties.
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