Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand issued his concerns with Antony back in August and it looks as if the former Red Devils ace may have been right to be wary.
Brazilian international Antony was United’s marquee signing in the summer, arriving at Old Trafford from Ajax to the tune of £84.4million. Factoring in that the wide forward had only netted eight goals for the Dutch giants in his last season in Amsterdam, it was inevitable that some fans and pundits raised eyebrows over the amount of money the Red Devils were parting ways with.
Ferdinand was no different, as he admitted back in August of last year he harboured some fears that the cost of the transfer would directly impact Antony’s performances.
“Antony, he’s coming in at £100million or roughly around that figure, [you hope] that he comes in and that doesn’t weigh heavy on his neck,” the ex-England international told his Vibe with FIVE podcast. “You look at [Jack] Grealish last year, he wasn’t the same Grealish that played at Aston Villa, so it can weigh heavy.
“It can be the price tag weighing heavy and the pressure and the attention of being under the spotlight, a new environment and club and culture that they’re not used to, and a team setup that they’re not used to.
“Those three things are big things that come into play when you sign but you have to have the personality and character to deal with all that, that’s a big thing.”
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Well, fast forward four months down the line and all of Ferdinand’s worries have seemingly come to life. Antony is playing like a man fearful of his next mistake, the kind of trademark Brazilian flair the United fans witnessed in his first few games has drastically reduced.
The few skills and signs of ambition on the ball Antony has shown in recent weeks aren’t coming off and he is having next to no impact on proceedings a lot of the time. Take the recent trip to Arsenal as an example, the £84m man was silenced by Oleksandr Zinchenko before being hauled off with 20 minutes still left to play.
After that clash, Ferdinand did not hold back in his assessment of Antony’s showing. “The concerning thing for me with somebody like Antony is that he can’t beat anyone – and for a Brazilian that’s surprising!,” the former England ace explained.
“He just doesn’t beat anyone and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Was that always the way?’ I’ve seen clips of him when he was at Ajax and he was somebody who used to beat people.
“I saw [Thomas] Partey – who I wouldn’t put down as like a roaster, a sprinter – absolutely burst past him, and I’m thinking, “Woah, he [Antony] hasn’t got much power in them legs!”
For all of Antony’s flaws and poor form, United’s mega-money man is determined to put things right and turn things around at Old Trafford, at least that’s how his motivational Twitter message read.
“Important week for us!!,” he wrote. “Seeking to evolve to give my best to the team! It has always been a dream to be here and I will give all I have to honour this club cause we are stronger together!”
The 22-year-old has the chance to start his turnaround on Wednesday night when United make the trip to Nottingham Forest for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
