As a result of the onslaught of criticism that followed the performance, Antony has been called a “YouTube footballer” who “lacks substance.”
The Brazilian was on the field for 71 minutes during the 3-2 loss that occurred at the Emirates Stadium, but he did not contribute in any way. Despite the fact that United was chasing the game in the second half, Erik ten Hag decided to replace the winger with Fred. This indicates that Erik ten Hag was not impressed.
Antony joined Manchester United in the summer as one of the club’s marquee acquisitions after the club forked out £85.5 million to acquire his services from Ajax. They authorized the team to pay the second highest transfer fee in its history after Antony recorded 24 goals and 22 assists for Ajax in 82 appearances. However, United has not yet been reimbursed for their investment.
The 22-year-old forward has scored five goals in 19 appearances in all competitions thus far, and does not have a single assist to his name. Rio Ferdinand was not pleased with his performance against Arsenal and regretted the fact that he was unable to beat the opposition’s defenders.
Ferdinand stated, “The troubling thing for me with somebody like Antony is that he can’t beat anyone, which is shocking for a Brazilian!”
“He just can’t seem to get the better of anyone, and while I’m watching him, I can’t help but wonder: “Was that always the case?”
Gary Neville weighed in, comparing him to Arsenal’s rising talents and Marcus Rashford after the loss, where he was mainly unproductive and hooked during the second half of the match.
Marcus Rashford and Antony could’ve been the ones on the other side of it, counter-attacking for United, Neville said. “I want to see more from Antony, a £90 million signing, and I think to take him off is a disappointment,” Neville said. “You would like to think like Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who are also young players, that Marcus Rashford and Antony could’ve been the ones,” Rashford and Antony
“But it’s just not happening for him right now, and he has a little bit of work to do,” she said. It is plain to see that he is a more recent arrival in England than the other two.
Now, former striker in the Premier League Darren Bent has weighed in with his equally harsh commentary on the topic.
He stated, “All tricks and flicks, no substance at the minute.” “He is engaging in all of this activity, yet he is not getting ahead of anyone.
“It’s not as if he’s trying to pull a fast one by manipulating the ball in such a way as to get around someone; rather, he’s just doing it for the fun of it. Similar to the spin, when it happened I told myself, “Oh, come on, it’s only a spin.”
The next question directed at Bent was over Antony’s status as a “YouTube footballer.” The response he gave was, “A little bit, absolutely.” You take video of a football player and highlight his best plays; then you watch the video on YouTube and think to yourself, “Wow, I can’t believe we’re signing him!”
“However, where is the meat in between, and where is the finished product? I am aware that he got off to a terrific start at United, scoring a couple of good goals, but where is the finished product?