Fulham 0-1 Man Utd: Match review
Manchester United were warned that they were overpaying for Antony two before completing their £85million transfer for the Brazilian winger. Since joining the Red Devils from Ajax in the summer of 2022 Antony has struggled to adjust to life in England.
The 23-year-old has only scored eight times in 54 appearances across all competitions and has failed to make his intended impact thus far, failing to live up to his mammoth price tag.
Former Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk won’t have been surprised by Antony’s troubles in front of goal. In the days leading up to his arrival at Old Trafford Van Marwijk penned a column in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf in which he insisted the Red Devils star is “not a scoring player”.
“Ajax did well to take €100million (£85m) from Manchester United anyway,” he wrote. “It is the absolute top price and that amount the club would never have received in the future for Antony. I have heard the criticism that Antony was never able to score 10 goals in a season at Ajax.
“But he is not a scoring player – and he will not score much in England. But he can make the difference because he has the ability to create things and can always give an assist. He looks spectacular with his actions, but is also really decisive. What I’m curious about is whether he can handle the physical resistance in the Premier League. We will find out soon.”
Van Marwijk believes Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who at the time of the column’s publication was plying his trade with PSV Eindhoven, would have been a better option for Erik ten Hag’s system as he is a “more physically capable” player.
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He added: “Cody Gakpo is more physically capable than Antony. He also has the ability to work himself to death for the team. Many creative players are lazy players by nature.
“But Gakpo is less spectacular than Antony – and therefore Antony’s market value is higher. However, Gakpo will always be an ideal team player. Therefore, you can ask who would have the most value for Manchester United at the moment?”
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