Erik tenHag pushed for the signing of Antony during his first summer in charge of Manchester United (Picture: Getty)Manchester United’s scattergun transfer policy has been highlighted by their decision to overpay by an eye-watering £60million for struggling winger Antony. The Athletic reports that the club’s scouting department at the time highlighted Antony as a player of some potential, but valued him at a modest £25m. Having failed to secure the signing of any of their alternative targets, Ten Hag encouraged the club’s transfer department to push again to sign Antony and ultimately ended up paying a whopping £85m. Burdened by that astronomical transfer fee, it is perhaps unsurprising that Antony has struggled under the weight of expectation during his 18 turbulent months at Old Trafford. Stung by the criticism, Antony responded to the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes earlier this month by claiming their negative assessment of his performances was far from helpful.

Source: Metro December 22, 2023 16:15 UTC