"Not good enough" – Rio Ferdinand delivers grim Antony verdict and fears another Manchester United star is going to fallout with Erik ten Hag
Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand has slammed Antony for his sub-par form and has also suggested that Alejandro Garnacho could suffer a fallout with Erik ten Hag in the future.
Antony, 23, has failed to live up to the billing since joining the Red Devils from Ajax for close to £86 million past summer. He is yet to register a single goal or an assist in 11 appearances so far this campaign.
After Manchester United's 1-0 league win over Fulham on Saturday (November 4), Ferdinand shared his thoughts on Antony's future at Old Trafford. He said (h/t Daily Express):
"I don't know [how long Antony has] because you could smell the frustration from the fans, let alone hear it. He's played 11 games this season and managed zero goals and zero assists – from an attacking player, that's not good enough, that's the hard fact."
Commenting on a potential man management issue, Ferdinand added:
"He has to improve dramatically because when [Marcus] Rashford comes back, if Garnacho gets benched and Antony is starting ahead of him, he has to be scratching his head thinking, 'How is this guy ahead of me?'."
Ferdinand, who lifted 14 trophies with Manchester United, concluded:
"I'd be doing that and you have to have a competitive edge in the squad because if you're dropping someone to the bench, that player needs to know the one ahead of him will provide the goods and he's not doing that, not impacting the game. You can't argue it."
While Antony is still without a goal involvement this season, Garnacho has scored one goal in 14 overall matches, including five starts, so far.
Nani slams Manchester United's lack of grit
Speaking on Portuguese sports website B24's 1Para1 podcast, Nani asserted that Erik ten Hag's men are severely lacking in fighting spirit this campaign. He said (h/t Mundo Deportivo):
"When you watch Manchester play, you see there is no spirit of sacrifice, there isn't that determination. There is not that leading player who says, 'We have to win! We have to run with the ball and put it in the back of the net.'"
The Red Devils, who are currently eighth in the Premier League standings with 18 points from 11 games, have opened the ongoing 2023-24 season on a mixed note. They have conceded 26 goals in 16 games across competitions so far, losing eight matches in the process.
Nani, on the other hand, represented Manchester United 230 times between 2007 and 2015. He lifted 12 trophies, including four league titles, during his stint, scoring 41 goals and providing 71 assists as well.