Patrick Van Straaten of Football Daily has given Antony, who will soon join Manchester United, a harsh review
The Ajax winger appears destined to join Manchester United before the summer transfer window closes. According to reports, United and the winger have reached an agreement. The fee is thought to be €100 million (£84 million) plus add-ons.
Given Antony’s underwhelming performance in the Eredivisie over the past few seasons, the price seems unexpected. He managed to score eight league goals and contribute to another four during the previous season, totaling a goal involvement total of 12 despite amassing 22 in all competitions.
“Like, you want a guy in the Eredivisie who’s really putting up incredible numbers because of the competition in that league, and he had 12 goal involvements the previous season and 17 the year before.
“I was watching his dribbles, and he has a success percentage in the Eredivisie of about 57%, which is acceptable. It’s about 38-39% in the Champions League, which is the bottom 3% of wingers.
“So my worry is that he will struggle with his take-ons when he faces off against’real’ defenders, as they don’t actually exist in the Eredivisie. What do you have here if he lacks the ability to beat people up?
Although Antony is a young, good player, we have to agree with Van Straaten that the potential deal is “insane”—especially at that price. The Ajax player may certainly make an immediate impact at Old Trafford, but his statistics indicate that he could need some time to adjust to life in the Premier League. And he might not get that time for such a high price.
Is this a player Manchester United actually needs? While having a depth of quality is important, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Anthony Elanga are already vying for a spot on the wing, so it could be argued that United has to strengthen in other areas this summer.
If the transaction is successful,
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