Manchester United's worst signing ever must 'earn the right to play'

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has told Brazilian winger Antony he must raise his level and "earn the right to play" despite costing £86 million (€100 million and $107 million) in 2022.

The Brazilian winger scored his first goal of the season against Barnsley in the League Cup on the 17^th of September, but he is yet to make an impact in the Premier League.

The winger has made one 89th-minute substitute appearance in the Premier League, coming on in Manchester United's loss to Brighton, and failing to come on in the other three games.

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According to The Telegraph, Antony promised United fans that this year would be "totally different" and that he would improve after a torrid start to his United career.

According to Transfermarkt, since joining Manchester United in 2022, the Brazilian winger has accumulated more yellow cards (10) than he has goals and assists combined (8) in the Premier League. 

In 29 Premier League matches last season, the Brazilian scored one goal and got one assist. In 25 league games in 2022-23, he scored four goals and provided two assists, somehow getting worse.

INews reports the Brazilian winger was worth £25 million ($31 million and €29 million) when he was playing for Ajax, making it a terrible miscalculation by the Manchester United recruitment team when they bought him in 2022.

In his final season at Ajax before making the switch to Manchester, Antony scored or assisted 12 goals for the Dutch giants in the Eredivisie while playing for the most dominant team in the land at the time. 

Manchester United signing Antony has created deeper root problems at the club, either selling, sending them on loan, or failing to develop three other wingers who were there when Antony joined.

United sold promising winger Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest for £15 million (€17 million and $19 million), halted the growth of Argentine Alejandro Garnacho, and destroyed the United career of £70 million (€81 million and $87 million) English man Jadon Sancho.

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Transfermarkt reports Sancho helped Borussia Dortmund reach the 2024 Champions League final, Elanga scored five goals and provided nine assists in a Forest team that fought relegation, and Garnacho scored seven and provided four assists in the league. 

The stats don't lie, and with one goal and one assist last season, it's clear the other three were better options for Manchester United when the Brazilian joined the club in 2022.

For many, the best thing Manchester United can do is sell the Brazilian winger, but Antony is a Financial Fair Play problem for owner Jim Ratcliffe as he looks to rebuild and reshape the squad. 

According to The Independent, the winger's book value was £51 million (€59 million and $63 million) in May 2024, with Antony two and a half years into his five-year contract. However, after his shocking performances, United will be lucky to get £20 million (€23 million and $25 million) for his services in the next window. 

In part because of Antony, United have spent over £600 million (€713 million and $794 million) since Ten Hag has been in charge of United, and losing another £31 million (€36 million and $38 million) could seriously harm their spending effort in the next transfer market. 

Do you believe Antony is the worst signing in Premier League history? If so, how does Manchester United tackle the situation when the transfer market opens in the summer?

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