Erik tenHag pushed for the signing of Antony during his first summer in charge of Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United’s scattergun transfer policy has been highlighted by their decision to overpay by an eye-watering £60million for struggling winger Antony.
Erik ten Hag made the Brazil international one of his top targets during his first summer at the helm, but United’s interest in Antony dated back to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign.
The Athletic reports that the club’s scouting department at the time highlighted Antony as a player of some potential, but valued him at a modest £25m.
Shortly after Ten Hag’s appointment, however, United informed Ajax they would be paying no more than £60m for one of their prize assets and ended communication with the Dutch club.
Having failed to secure the signing of any of their alternative targets, Ten Hag encouraged the club’s transfer department to push again to sign Antony and ultimately ended up paying a whopping £85m.
Burdened by that astronomical transfer fee, it is perhaps unsurprising that Antony has struggled under the weight of expectation during his 18 turbulent months at Old Trafford.
Still without a goal this season and with just a solitary assist to his name, the jury still remains out on whether Antony will ever be capable of making the grade at United.
Antony is yet to score a single goal for Manchester United this season (Picture: Getty)
Stung by the criticism, Antony responded to the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes earlier this month by claiming their negative assessment of his performances was far from helpful.
‘Today, I see criticism coming from former club players and other people in the media, who unreasonably express their opinions and influence thousands of fans, sometimes even when I do not play,’ Antony said.
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‘But I’ve never seen them give constructive criticism, which will help me be a better professional.
‘None of them have ever sent me a message to see how I am feeling, especially during this period of turbulence that I am going through.
‘The ‘digital court’ is ruining lives; contexts are left aside, and the truth no longer matters.’
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