It was June 2022 when the management gave Erik ten Hag complete freedom to select the team he needed for his favorite 4-2-3-1 system. Everyone was waiting for Frenkie de Jong; he never arrived in the end, but Manchester United fans still had plenty of reasons to scour YouTube, watching clips of high-profile signings—some of whom were Ten Hag’s “soldiers.” That season, another Ajax product, Lisandro Martinez, arrived. From Feyenoord, Ten Hag brought in Tyrell Malacia. The most high-profile signing was undoubtedly Real Madrid’s Casemiro, one of the most decorated midfielders in football history, who signed after negotiations with De Jong collapsed. But the most expensive of them all was Antony, a footballing dancer with a 100,000,000 euros price tag accompanying the beauty of his moves.Antony’s Premier League stats: 5 goals, 10 yellows, and now… a loan to Betis. A €100m player doing a gap year. pic.twitter.com/zYoipGb94C— MOOD – Football (@moodxfootball) January 20, 2025 In the case of the Brazilian, the old saying that beauty is fleeting proved true. Antony, who was supposed to get Old Trafford on its feet, ended up being mentioned as a legitimate candidate for the title of the worst signing in Premier League history. It’s not an easy topic, and it’s hard to reach a definitive answer because there are other “notable” contenders. Names that immediately come to mind include Andy Carroll at Liverpool, Nicolas Pépé at Arsenal, or Romelu Lukaku’s second stint at Chelsea. The latter was bought for 113,000,000 and ended with eight goals and damage control via loans and transfers, which at least brought back around 45,000,000 to the club’s coffers.United finally say goodbye to Mr Flop?However, Antony has his own arguments for the debate. He did start brilliantly, scoring against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Everton in his first three Premier League matches, but he sank so deep afterward that it was hard to even find him in the mire he was stuck in. Ultimately, if we count only league matches, it will be recorded that the 100,000,000 player received more yellow cards (10) than goals (5) and assists (3). Of course, it’s easy to be wise with hindsight, though even back in 2022, it was known that Ajax had included a “United tax” in their selling price for the then 24-year-old winger. It’s hard to believe that the English club paid such a sum for a player who had yet to record a double-digit goal tally in a domestic league season. The price is simply not the same for other clubs and one of the richest clubs on the planet—and United still holds that status. As much as it was beneficial that Ten Hag had the freedom to spend, despite the club being trophyless for a decade, it was also a curse.Red Devils legend: “Just get rid of these three”The best proof of that claim is the list of the club’s most expensive signings: Paul Pogba (105,000,000), Antony, Harry Maguire (87,000,000), Jadon Sancho (85,000,000), Romelu Lukaku (84,700,000), Ángel Di María (75,000,000)… all flops, to a greater or lesser extent. It doesn’t even matter; none were a complete success, and such amounts should not be spent so lightly. In the end, Antony will be remembered as an absolute mistake. His first season was somewhat acceptable, but in the second, he managed just one Premier League goal. This season, he has only played 407 minutes across all competitions, with no significant contributions in the league, and just one goal—in the League Cup against third-tier Barnsley.When the Red Devil gets angry, TVs sufferEven during Ten Hag’s tenure, he was overtaken in the hierarchy by Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Amad Diallo, who will likely be the first choice for the right-wing position. Rashford and Garnacho have suitors from southern Europe, while Antony is almost certain to go on loan to Real Betis. No one at Old Trafford will miss him. On the contrary, they’ll only pray he doesn’t return in May. Because for a price of around 10,000,000 per goal, much more is expected than useless stepovers. And if Antony flourishes again at Betis? That will only confirm that United carries a unique weight—not everyone can play at Old Trafford. Nor can just anyone manage the Manchester giant. That’s probably the even bigger problem.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – ROUND 7Thursday20.45: (3.25) AZ Alkmaar (3.50) Roma (2.30)20.45: (1.65) Bodo (3.80) Maccabi T.A. (5.40)20.45: (2.05) Fenerbahce (3.60) Olympique Lyon (3.80)20.45: (2.90) Hoffenheim (3.60) Tottenham (2.50)20.45: (2.75) Malmo (3.15) Twente (2.70)20.45: (2.15) Plzen (3.50) Anderlecht (3.60)20.45: (1.65) Porto (4.00) Olympiakos (6.00)20.45: (2.30) Qarabag (3.40) FCSB (3.10)23.00: (1.52) Eintr.Frankfurt (4.30) Ferencvaros (6.25)23.00: (2.95) Elfsborg (3.45) Nice (2.35)23.00: (2.50) Lazio (3.25) Sociedad (3.15)23.00: (2.60) Ludogorets (3.25) Midtjylland (2.80)23.00: (1.48) Man.Utd. (5.00) Rangers (6.70)23.00: (2.75) PAOK (3.20) Slavia Praha (2.65)23.00: (9.00) Rigas (5.00) Ajax (1.35)23.00: (2.20) St.Gilloise (3.50) Braga (3.45)**odds are subject to change**
