Manchester United post-Sir Alex Ferguson no doubt been an exhausting ride for Red Devils supporters.
Where once a great legacy was forged in the 'Theatre of Dreams', proceedings have at times felt more aligned with a B-list pantomime. A new manager arrives a heroic figure of hope and then plot twist – he's the villain, with the players enduring mediocre form, his sniveling underlings.
Erik ten Hag came in with an air of heroism. After delighting Ajax fans in the Netherlands, his continental efforts brought him to Old Trafford. He initially spoke of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and the whole 'eras coming to an end' lark. However, his era has struggled to really take form, with the club currently languishing five points outside the top four.
One particular problem has been the Dutchman's penchant for signing players whom he has previously worked with, including Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat, with the addition of his one-time Ajax asset, Antony, proving especially disastrous.
The reasons Manchester United signed Antony from Ajax
That 'manager's favourite' dig is, on second thoughts, a little harsh. Yet, with Ten Hag's often dynamic, and title-monopolising Ajax – a formative Antony was a twinkling star in a progressive galaxy that the Amsterdam club are renowned for creating over the years. Brought in from Sao Paulo in 2020, the winger enjoyed a brilliant two years in red and white, winning back-to-back Eredivisie titles (2020-21, 2021-22) and one KNVB Beker (2020-21).
In that time, and in all 82 all-competition outings – the tricky Brasileiro totted up a direct goal involvement in basically every other game. He scored 24 goals and got 22 assists in his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
While the numbers and performances were impressive, of course the football itself and the way in which it was played, was front and centre. At Ajax, the winger was a beacon of creativity and arrived on European radars as a call back to Jogo Bonito-pushers of yesteryear.
Exploits in Amsterdam saw Antony follow his former boss to England
Admittedly, Antony's raw talent was a little bit of a gamble for Manchester United, yet Ten Hag was convinced his winger could make the step-up when he sealed an £86 million five-year-deal in August 2022.
What fans saw were mere glimpses of a talent more effective in the Dutch first division. Antony could make the 'step-up' in a way. But he could also make the step-over, random flick and then a bizarre spinning top move.
Losing half his value and finding an unwanted nickname
Antony won the 2023 EFL Cup with United, yet steadily, standards began to slip as the Premier League especially wasn't as accommodating to his flair-driven style compared to the Netherlands.
His near-€100 million tag started to look ever-steeper with every lacklustre outing. In his first Premier League season, Antony's return for 25 games was a mere four goals and two assists. This was especially underwhelming considering his last Eredivisie season saw him score eight goals and supply two assists in 23 games.
Now, as the 5 foot 9 trickster looks to better his previous term, he faces the prospect of having lost nearly half of his transfer value.
Where he once moved on for that £86 million, now, his value sits at £44 million (or €50 million) – representing a decline of £42m in just over 12 months. If that wasn't bad enough, the wideman's lack of end product leading to dwindling value also found him with the newfound nickname of "YouTube footballer" – courtesy of talkSPORT's Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent.
While time is still on his side to turn things around, the £200k-per-week enigma needs to start delivering the goods sooner rather than later.
