Antony thought he was a baller in Eredivisie – but Prem showed him his level
Antony may have lit up the Eredivisie with Ajax but the Brazilian has been found out since moving to Manchester United.
That’s the view of Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan, who has been a keen observer of the winger since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2022.
The 24-year-old arrived at the club with huge promise after United paid Ajax a whopping £86million for his services.
It appeared to be money well spent when Antony scored on his debut in a 3-1 victory over Arsenal. And it got even better for the star, who went on to net in United’s next two league games.
Antony registered eight goals and three assists in 44 games during his maiden season at Old Trafford but a mixture of off-field issues and poor form saw the winger net just three times last term.
He has since come under a barrage of criticism for a succession of below-par displays and is yet to impose himself on Ten Hag’s starting XI this season.
With just one minute of action to his name from United’s opening four league fixtures, Antony is in line for a starting place in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at home to Barnsley, live on talkSPORT 2.
Ten Hag will hope that Antony can still be a success at Old Trafford but Tuesday’s clash was not the type of fixture he was signed for.
Van der Kraan believes the United boss will be praying Antony can turn around his fortunes with the responsibility of the transfer weighing heavily on his shoulders.
“Erik ten hag is praying it will still happen because on his advice, so much money was spent on this player,” Van der Kraan told talkSPORT.
“It’s the usual trap that Dutch coaches fall for when they go to England, they’ve seen players in the Netherlands that have done alright.
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“Antony came from Brazil, joined Ajax and in Brazil he was a big talent. He comes to the Eredivisie which is not on the same level.
“He thought he was a real baller in the Eredivisie. Yes, you are against the likes of Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles.
“You only play three or four big games in a season and yes he did light the stadium up a few times in the big games but it’s not a consistent period.
“Then he came to England and thought ‘oh hang on, I’m facing really tough opponents’.”
He continued: “In the past he would scrap a bit as well. He was one of those Brazil street kids who would do that and he’s found out that when he meets some boys from London or Manchester or Liverpool who grew up on the streets there, they’re just as tough as him.
“If Antony’s level of playing has gone down to the Carabao Cup against Barnsley, then that is not the sort of line you want to take in your career when you move for so much money.”
Ten Hag will want things to work out better for Netherlands international Joshua Zirkzee, who also netted on his debut, in the opening day clash with Fulham.
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The striker has failed to add to his tally since but has shown snippets of quality during the first few weeks of his United career.
“He’s been at five or six clubs in the early stages of his career, if you’re a really big talent you’ll stay with one, “said Van der Kraan.
“He’s got flair, he’s got height and watching him as a 15-year-old in the Feyenoord academy, I always thought, ‘you’ve got something’
“At Bologna, he was very good but this is Manchester United. We have to watch this boy and we have to watch all of Erik’s boys over longer periods.
“With the experience Erik has had with Antony and some of the other boys, you think, ‘should he have been more careful with buying players from the Eredivisie knowing how tough the others have had it?’
“I really do hope that Zirkzee will make that difference for him,” he added. “If Zirkzee does not get the goals and the brilliant performances then it’s going to be a really difficult season for Ten Hag.”