Manchester United flop has no intention of leaving despite transfer interest from Besiktas: Reports
Manchester United winger Antony reportedly has no intentions of leaving Old Trafford despite receiving interest from Besiktas this summer. This is according to Ertan Suzgun, who claim that the Turkish outfit have also submitted a bid for the Brazilian (via 90 min).
Should Antony decide against a move away, it would be rather interesting, given the poor time he's endured in England. After joining the Red Devils in the summer of 2022, the winger has scored just 11 goals while bagging five assists in 82 appearances across all competitions.
Moreover, it seems as though Antony will not be in contention to start on the right wing for Erik ten Hag. Alejandro Garnacho seems a likely option to start down that flank, while Marcus Rashford will be expected to occupy the space on the left.
Given that his game time will be limited with the Red Devils, it may seem reasonable for the former Ajax star to look for game time elsewhere. The club will certainly be looking to recoup at least some of the reported €95 million they spent on acquiring the winger's services.
Antony started just 15 Premier League matches last season for Manchester United, bagging a goal and an assist each. He has three years left on his current deal at Old Trafford.
Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe defends Manchester United's Antony
Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe has defended underwhelming big-money signings, including Manchester United attacker Antony and Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Ivory international also suffered a similar fate after failing to live up to expectations following his reported £72 million to the Emirates in the summer of 2019.
Defending players who have been brought in for huge prices, Pepe told BBC Sport (via GOAL):
"If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it'd be different. It's not the player's fault. They don't ask for £100m or 90m. But that's how it is in the football world and it's something that people can't understand."
"There are also players like Mudryk and Antony who don't perform at their best all the time, and yet they're not bad players."
Pepe played 112 matches for the Gunners across all competitions, bagging 27 goals and 21 assists. Mudryk is another who has struggled since signing for Chelsea for a reported £88.5 million in January 2023. He's bagged only seven goals and four assists in 58 matches for the Blues.