Erik ten Hag is described as being on a “major collision course” with the INEOS Sport team over the long-term future of Antony at Manchester United.
Steve Bates (GiveMeSport) reveals the new executive structure at Old Trafford – who gained full control over the football operation following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ratification as new co-owner of the club – will adopt a “more ruthless approach [to] under-performing players than the previous regime.”
Omar Berrada, signed from local rivals Manchester City to be United’s new Chief Executive, believes players have “one to two years” to prove themselves, or else they should be shipped on.
Previously, underperforming players had been allowed to remain at Old Trafford in the naïve hope of improvement. Players such as Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek are still under contract with United, despite multiple years of proof they are nowhere near the requisite level.
Fabrizio Romano reveals this stagnant approach “won’t happen with the new board”, spearheaded by Berrada. And if there was one player who embodies underperformance, relative to their initial transfer fee, it is Antony.
The Brazilian winger was signed from Ajax in the same summer Ten Hag relocated to Manchester from Amsterdam.
Despite internal scouting reports valuing Antony at around £25 million, United officials, in a panic, sanctioned an £86 million move for the winger in the final weeks of the transfer window.
What has followed has been a series of displays which demonstrate the scouting team were being generous in their assessment.
Antony hardly resembles a Premier League-level player; let alone one of the most expensive purchases in the league’s history. He is physically incapable of succeeding in English football, nor possesses the productivity to justify his weak and slow style.
While Ten Hag often played Antony last season, regardless of the quality (or lack thereof) of his performances, even the Dutchman has seen sense this year, dropping the Brazilian in place of Alejandro Garnacho.
As he approaches the end of his second year at Old Trafford, Bates contends the new executive structure have already placed Antony “in the firing line” this summer. Reports suggest the club would be willing to accept as little as half the fee they paid Ajax for his services two years ago.
However, Bates reveals Ten Hag will “resist attempt to offload the winger this summer – even on loan.”
It appears the Dutch manager retains hope he can still extract the type of performances which led him to lobby United to sign Antony in the first place, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary. The reporter believes this may put Ten Hag at loggerheads with his new employers for the first time.
