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Did Manchester United benefit from Anthony?
Anthony, the Manchester United star, was lucky not to be sent off in the derby against Manchester City in the Premier League and has so far failed to justify his huge price tag and place in the team.
United have included a host of deals in recent years such as Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Alexis Sanchez, at exorbitant prices and have not provided levels to justify their hefty price, and the club has suffered significant losses because of them.
Ajax made a big profit on the sale of Anthony, who was brilliant with the team and United included him for £85m, Anthony began his career strongly with Manchester, becoming the first player to score in his first three Premier League appearances for United. But his shortcomings soon began to emerge as the 23-year-old finished his first season with just eight goals. and made no assists in nine games this season.
There were no clear signs of improvement in his style of play. as the Red Devils have rarely led any real threat on the right flank when playing basically and Anthony clearly has nothing to succeed in a club the size of United, His contract continues until 2027, and United must cut their potential losses due to the Brazilian star after his miserable form in the Manchester derby.
"Absolutely ridiculous."
Anthony was a substitute for United's meeting against Manchester City last Sunday, in the 86th minute and United were 3-0 down. He did not seem to care much about trying to help his side make an unexpected late comeback and the Brazilian was beaten twice by Jeremy Doko in individual encounters.
Duku provoked Anthony twice and the United star angrily pushed his hand away before their teammates separated them and the referee famously yellow-carded Anthony, much to the surprise of United legend Gary Neville.
"This is absolutely ridiculous, it's a package," Neville told Sky Sports.
Doko took to social media to mock Anthony after the game and the Belgian posted a photo of the altercation with the caption: "Stay calm Manchester in blue."
It was not the first time Anthony had fought unnecessarily with an opponent, and it would not usually be the latter who made mistakes, but the difference between him and Duku is that he rarely creates a goal-scoring opportunity for his team.
He is a nervous player and relies on his privileged position in the Ten Hag team and takes advantage of the Dutch coach's failure to find a replacement for him.
"Clown"
Anthony was constantly criticised for his showstopping style last season, with former United midfielder Paul Scholes calling the former Ajax star a "clown" after carrying out an unnecessary 360-degree turnover during a Europa League match.
United desperately need a winger to attack and make crosses in the box after the arrival of Danish striker Rasmus Hoilund, but Anthony does not seem able to help the 20-year-old score goals.
Defenders are able to stop Anthony because he lacks the necessary speed and Ten Hag has always defended quick passes and crucial offensive football, but failed to see that Anthony prevents his team from progressing forward and succeeding.
Former United striker Andy Cole said: "Overall the end product is enormous but does Anthony create opportunities for his teammates? Isn't it really contributing to goal scoring? not really ".
"If I was playing in a team and there was a wing like Anthony, I wouldn't be happy as a striker because he doesn't create enough assists for me, because my job is to score goals."
His crises are off the field.
United suffered a poor start to the 2023-2024 season, with Ten Hag struggling to build on last season, which saw the side win the Carabao Cup and finish in the top four of the Premier League.
However, the team faced many off-field crises such as Greenwood's suspension for his arrest on suspicion of sexual assault in 2022, although all charges against him were dropped but United eventually announced they would abandon the English striker to join Getafe on loan.
Less than three weeks later, the club was forced to move again after allegations against Anthony from his ex-girlfriend, Gebrella Cavalin, against him, accusing him of attacking her during her pregnancy, that he threw glass at her and threatened to throw her out of the car.
United confirmed Anthony's return to the club, where the player has not been arrested or charged in England or Brazil and police investigations are ongoing, and United revealed a new investigation after Anthony was convicted by a woman more than three months before he arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax of sexually abusing her.
Anthony's fate?
Ten Hag deserves all the criticism against him for signing Anthony, and when asked about the deal during a fiery social media exchange, United icon Neville tried to accuse the Glazer family, and also noted that they paid huge sums without interest for Casemiro.
Neville wrote on Twitter: "About Anthony we just lost to Brighton and Brentford and the club was in a tailspin and yet Casemiro and Anthony joined and it all falls to the Glazer family for lack of leadership! They have done so for 10 years, Ajax could not believe the offer of that money for deals and Anthony's deal did not have to be done in these circumstances. "
It is logical that United management feel pressured to conclude formal signings after seeing their new manager start his reign with two painful defeats. United's policy regarding new signings must be reformed, and Ratcliffe will have a major role to play in improving the situation of the team and better start with Anthony.
Anthony's loan move could be useful for United, and Tin Haag may not be there to protest against this decision as calls for his dismissal grow.
"The biggest mistake in the history of United."
After his childish anger against City, Anthony faces the spectre of being excluded from the Ten Hag squad and Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount are both able to play on the right flank if necessary, while United boss Alejandro Garnacho can try in this position or push Diogo Dalot forward.
Anthony has a lot of skills and has a strong left foot, but he doesn't know how to use his best attributes in leading his team to win games, and the main reason to rely on him for a long time is his defensive success which helps Ten Hag implement his high-pressure strategy like last season but that's not enough reason to have Anthony on the team list.
The £85m player must have the ability to seal games on his own, whether by making an assist or scoring goals, and Manchester United will need to pool as many points from their next three Premier League games against Fulham, Everton and Luton Town.
United will suffer a lot in these games if Anthony starts, because he does not have the speed or basic football intelligence in a competition as big as the Premier League.
Prior to confirmation of Anthony's move to Old Trafford, the popular Ajax fan account "The European Lad" posted an ominous message to United fans on the social media site "X", guaranteed: "You make the biggest mistake in the history of transfers, United if you sign him for 100 million euros."