Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke has concerns over Antony following another lackluster performance in the side’s embarassing 7-0 Premier League defeat to Liverpool. The Brazilian struggled to impact the game on the right flank on a dismal day at Anfield (March 5).
Antony, 22, arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax last summer for £85 million. The winger, though, has failed to impress since then, scoring six goals and contributing one assist in 27 games across competitions. The Red Devils attacker has managed just nine key passes so far this season.
Yorke claims that the jury is still out over Antony following his big-money move last summer. He expected a lot more from the Brazilian, telling Premier League Odds:
“The jury is still out on Antony. With the fee that’s been paid for him, you’d expect him to set the Premier League alight.”
Yorke continued:
“From the clips I’ve seen of him before he joined, he did look impressive, but it’s often the same case with foreign leagues; players come to the Premier League and struggle because it’s a different ball game.”
Yorke is willing to give Antony time to adapt to the Premier League but added that he thought the Brazilian would be more effective:
“In time we might see the full potential of Antony, but what we expected of him, especially me, I thought he’d be a lot more effective. I’ll give him a pass for now because of where the team is and how we’re performing, but I do expect a lot more from Antony going forward.”
Antony was wanted by Erik ten Hag after the Dutch coach previously coached him at Ajax. Manchester United were in a good position to sign him for much less than the £85 million they ended up paying. The Sun reported last April that Ajax were willing to sell for £50 million.
However, the Red Devils haggled over a deal for Antony, as they were also interested in Cody Gakpo. The Dutch attacker joined Liverpool in January and scored a brace in Sunday’s 7-0 capitulation of Ten Hag’s side.
Rio Ferdinand admits he’ll be close to panicking if Manchester United lose again following Liverpool capitulation
Manchester United‘s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield was the joint-biggest competitive defeat in the club’s history. It was a horror day for both players and fans of the Red Devils. They were celebrating lifting the Carabao Cup, their first trophy for six years, just the week before.
Ferdinand, who became a United hero under Sir Alex Ferguson, admits he will be close to panicking if his former side lose again. He told his Vibe with FIVE podcast:
“When we played, if you lost, you are thinking about Wednesday or Tuesday ‘we do not lose that game’, that was the chat. I am only going to start panicking if we get beaten on Thursday (against Real Betis) or Southampton at the weekend.”
Manchester United face Real Betis on Thursday (March 9) before hosting Southampton on Sunday (March 12).
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