Ardfern, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How did Ajax star Antony become such a flop at Man United?

19 Views

Former Ajax star Antony has recently been making headlines during a loan spell with Spanish outfit Real Betis from Manchester United, mainly for the right reasons. However, a recent sending-off against Getafe in a 2-1 win blotted his impressive start in Andalucia.

The dismissal aside, Antony has looked like a different player in Seville. The winger has scored two goals and produced two assists in just four appearances for Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

Antony looked like an exciting player in Amsterdam

When Antony was at Ajax, he was an exciting player who could get fans off their seats. During his time in the Dutch capital, the Brazilian international always seemed to be a threat to opposition defences.

In 82 appearances, he scored 24 goals and produced 22 assists, a far better record than at United. He also looked far more comfortable playing for the Dutch giants.

Maybe he felt less responsibility in an Ajax shirt and that he had more freedom to be creative and expressive. It was his promising attacking displays for Ajax that persuaded United to splash an eye-watering fee of around £86m to acquire his services.

Although Ajax would have been disappointed to lose an exciting attacking player, they would have been delighted with the fee they received for a player that they had paid just £13.2m for in 2020 when he joined from Sao Paolo.

That is a massive profit for any club, and the deal has undoubtedly helped Ajax financially, even if it was amortised over the length of his contract.

He was disappointing at Manchester United

When he arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2022, big things were expected of the undoubtedly skilful Brazilian international. He seemed to be the sort of exciting attacking player that the Old Trafford fans appreciate.

However, although his attacking numbers at Ajax were decent, many questioned whether Antony was worth such a hefty fee. For instance, former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is believed to have valued the Brazilian at closer to £30m than the fee the club paid for him.

Those question marks over Antony’s fee proved to have foundations, as the winger just couldn’t settle at the club. The fact that his former Ajax boss, Erik ten Hag, was in charge when he arrived at United should have helped him perform.

The Dutch boss was a big fan of Antony and maybe gave him more chances than another manager would to settle at the club. He even sold promising young winger Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest in order to provide Antony with less competition on the flanks.

In hindsight, that was probably not the smartest move. The Swedish star has produced 17 assists and eight goals for Nottingham Forest in 67 appearances despite not always being a starter in his early days with the Tricky Trees.

Antony scored just 12 goals and produced five assists in 96 appearances in all competitions for United. That is not the record of a player who cost such a hefty fee.

One of the main reasons that has been cited for his struggles at Manchester United is that he struggled to adapt from the Eredivisie to the Premier League. It would be difficult to argue that the Dutch top-flight is as high quality as the English equivalent.

It could be stated that Premier League defenders are of a higher standard than those in the Eredivisie. It was more difficult for Antony to produce moments of skill in the English top flight, as he was likely more constrained in how he played.

The final nail in the coffin of his United career was the arrival of Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim at Manchester United in November. Antony didn’t fit Amorim’s style of play or system.

Amorim has found success during his coaching career using an increasingly popular 3-4-2-1 formation. This formation doesn’t include wingers but relies on two number tens to provide the main attacking support for the lone forward.

Although Antony has played on both wings during his career, he has not played as a number ten. Playing the Brazilian out of position was never really an option for the Portuguese boss, so he was allowed to join Betis until the end of the season.

What next for the Brazilian international?

Before the January transfer window closed, there was speculation that the winger could return to Ajax. However, a move for Antony never seemed to be on the cards for the Dutch giants.

The winger would cost too much in transfer fees and wages. Ajax has very rarely splashed the cash over the years. The Dutch club generally prefers to pick up unpolished gems, like they did with Antony and polish them. A return to the Dutch capital seems unlikely anytime soon.

Judging from his United so far, it doesn’t look like a return to United would be beneficial for the player or the club. It seems more likely that he will be on the move again in the summer, whether that’s a loan or permanent move, which will be dictated by whether clubs are willing to take a chance on the Brazilian.

He has shown in his short time in Seville with Betis what he is capable of and how he can affect games. How he performs for the rest of the season will have a significant effect on his future.