“He’s brought nothing. Certainly nothing on the football field” - Simon Jordan hits out at Manchester United star
Former Crystal Palace chairman and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan has criticized Manchester United's Antony, referring to the Brazilian as a "waste of money." The Brazilian arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax for a reported initial fee of €95 million in 2022.
Antony is United's second-costliest signing after Paul Pogba while being Ajax and Eredivisie's biggest transfer ever. However, the 24-year-old's lack of contributions in England has often raised questions about the Premier League giants' decision to sign him for such a hefty fee.
Antony recorded eight goals and three assists in 44 appearances across competitions in his debut season for the Red Devils. Last season, he registered only three goals and two assists in 38 matches in all competitions.
While speaking on talkSPORT about Antony's performance in the last two seasons, Simon Jordan explained how the Brazil international did not meet the expectations considering his hefty transfer fee. He said (via The Mirror):
"Of course there is a pressure and of course there is an expectation because if you spend big money on players, naturally you expect big outcomes. If a £25m footballer doesn’t succeed there’s less noise around it. In this instance, with Antony, at £25m he would have been a bad buy because he’s been poor and everything about him has been poor."
Erik ten Hag, who was appointed Manchester United's manager in April 2022, had coached Antony earlier for two years at Ajax. Jordan also questioned the Dutchman's decision to bring the winger to Old Trafford for such a huge fee in his maiden season.
The former Premier League chief added:
"He’s brought nothing. What has he brought to Manchester United beside headlines? Certainly nothing on the football field. So at £25m you would be saying it’s a waste of money, at £85m you’ve got to look at the manager and ask why he bought him, especially as he knew him."
Antony has made two appearances for Manchester United this season, scoring once. It was a penalty in United's 7-0 win over Barnsley in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Erik ten Hag's comment ahead of Manchester United's PL clash against Crystal Palace
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag made a confident claim ahead of their weekend's Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The two teams last met in May, with the Red Devils losing 4-0.
In last season's away league match against Crystal Palace, United failed to make an impression even though they maintained a higher ball possession (57%). The Eagles had 10 shots on target while the visitors had two.
While speaking about Saturday's (September 21) fixture, Ten Hag appeared optimistic about his squad's chances in the game. He explained how the situation is different this time. The Dutch manager said (via Simon Stone of BBC Sport):
"It was a 4-0, totally deserved, but Saturday will be different. I don’t compare (situations). From February onwards, we had to find 11 players to construct a team. Now it is 18, and we can pick one."
After bagging a 3-0 win against Southampton last week, Manchester United are now 10th in the Premier League with six points.