Manchester United winger Antony is “falling short” at Old Trafford compared to his Liverpool counterpart in Darwin Nunez, journalist Dean Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT.
The 23-year-old is still looking to make his mark in the Premier League for Erik ten Hag’s side this season.
Man Utd news – Antony
With ten Hag looking to implement his style on his Manchester United outfit, the Dutchman raided his former club Ajax, signing winger Antony in a deal worth around the £81m mark, which now ranks as the fifth-most expensive Premier League transfer of all time.
Despite scoring on his debut in a victory against league leaders Arsenal, the diminutive wide man has found it difficult to become a regular provider of goals in the English top-flight as of yet.
However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has told GIVEMESPORT that the acquisition of Antony has “changed the feeling” around the Red Devils squad and labelled his signing as “successful.”
But Jones believes that the attack-minded player is being outshone by Liverpool’s Nunez, who arrived at the Anfield outfit last summer in a deal which could eventually rise to £85m.
What has Jones said about Man Utd and Antony?
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “At the moment, the only person you could really compare him to in the Premier League like for like, given the time they’ve been here and the type of role and influence they’re supposed to have in the team, is Darwin Nunez.
“You have to say, he is falling short at the moment. It doesn’t mean that I think he’s going to be a flop in his United career. But at this moment, you’d have to say that he’s still got work to do.”
How has Antony performed for Man Utd this season?
It hasn’t been a disastrous season by any stretch for Antony, but there’s no doubt that the Sao Paulo-born star would have been hoping to have made more of an impression in his debut campaign at Old Trafford.
The 15-cap Brazil international has hit the back of the net just three times in 15 Premier League appearances and is yet to provide an assist for one of his teammates.
However, the 5 foot 8 star does compare favourably to his positional peers in some aspects of his game ranking in the top 14% of attacking midfielders/wingers across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for progressive carries per 90 minutes (4.29) over the last 365 days, as per FBref.
It was always likely going to be a difficult adaptation period from the Eredivisie to Premier League football for the young wide man, but there’s no doubt that Antony will be hoping to improve on his goal production next season.
