With the departures of Mason· Mason· Mason, Mason Greenwood, Facundo Pellistri and Jadon Sancho, United's wide flanks have been reduced to two on the left and right. But one of them may just be a foil, with 100 million euros Mr. Antony playing just one minute of play at the start of the new season.
Marcus Rashford, · Diallo and Garnacho have all started United's first three games, with only 24-year-old Antony in a special situation. The last time he started for the Reds was in a 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on 6 May. Even in friendlies, Ten Hag did not put Antony in the starting line-up, which lasted for 13 consecutive games. In the United States preseason, Compasso made only three substitute appearances.
Ten Hag was the man who insisted on signing Antony in the summer of 2022, and the club finally made his wish come true with a huge investment of 100 million euros. The 54-year-old Netherlands was once reluctant to admit that he was wrong, and he still hasn't publicly relented, but his choice is honest and he proves that his vision is wrong.
In 83 official appearances for Manchester United, Antony scored 11 goals and provided five assists. Eleven of those 16 directly involved goals came in his first season at the club, and most of the league goals came in the previous games, when Premier League opponents were not yet aware of the characteristics of the Brazil right winger.
After watching a few of his games, opponents found the truth simple: Anthony was not good enough, and his performance was not consistent enough, and he was easy to deal with. The Manchester United's high-priced player has only been able to dominate in front of opponents who don't know him well in cup competitions, or to bully lower-tier teams, and his opener goal last season was against League Two side Newport.
Meanwhile, United's other wingers have developed rapidly over the past 18 months, with Garnacho making good use of his straightforward style of play and Diallo finally getting the chance he deserves, as he is the most well-rounded of any winger available.
Antony is now at the bottom of the winger race and Ten Hag will never publicly criticise him, like most other players, but the United boss has severely limited Antony's playing time, suggesting that he has also lost patience with the winger in private.
Antony's problem is his €100 million transfer fee, and if United spends €120 million at a reasonable price and only $350,000 a week, then now the Brazil is a substitute who will not bring any controversy or attention, and fans may even applaud him for his hard work when he plays, just like the sold Uruguay winger Pellistri.
But Antony, who is saddled with a 100 million euro label, is destined not to satisfy the fans with hard work alone. And he already faces a seemingly impossible challenge and must put his performance back on Ten Hag's radar. Manchester United fans have long lost trust in him, and Ten Hag has been convinced in recent months that the fans are right.
However, with a staggering £200,000-a-week contract remaining three years and Manchester United being one of the most famous clubs in international football, Antony was not willing to leave, and he rejected an offer from Fenerbahce, a Turkish Super League side coached by Jose Mourinho, declaring his loyalty to the Red Devils and seizing the opportunity when he got it.
Before the start of this season, Anthony also vowed that he would be more on the list of scores, assists, and even scored with his right foot! Sadly, the first thing he's going to be fighting for is getting more out of the squad. The British media ridiculed: Antony is only 857 goals away from Ronaldo's career 900 goals.