One prominent Manchester United fan account appeared to take a not-so-subtle dig at the club’s biggest summer signing, Antony, at the start of the month.
“Gentle reminder that our star boy didn’t cost £100m,” read a post that showed Alejandro Garnacho scoring against West Ham United in the FA Cup.
The meaning is unclear, but when you consider the aforementioned Brazilian cost of £86m, the puzzle starts to come together.
Garnacho has had a bigger impact at Old Trafford this season. Despite being Argentine, the teenager idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo and has four goals and five assists in all senior competitions.
Antony, on the other hand, has six goals and one assist, indicating a lack of end product.
In terms of goals, he is currently ahead of his younger colleague, but he has also played approximately 800 more minutes in 2022/23.
There have been glimpses of his brilliance, but against Liverpool, a risky decision may be required.
Will Antony make his debut against Liverpool?
Simply put, the £200k-per-week earner must be dropped for this afternoon’s seismic clash.
The truth is that Erik ten Hag now has more options at his disposal. With his relentless work rate, Wout Weghorst has proven he is no mug in attack, something Antony can only dream of.
Marcus Rashford is simply unstoppable, and Bruno Fernandes has recently played on Antony’s preferred right flank. Not to mention the impact Jadon Sancho has had as a number ten.
Add Garnacho, who oozed confidence against the Irons a few days ago, and it’s difficult to see Antony getting in.
The Brazilian did score in the Europa League victory over Barcelona, but it was his only goal in the previous ten games.
The 23-year-old has only played the full 90 minutes once since the World Cup, indicating that Ten Hag does not trust him to provide quality for extended periods of time.
Liverpool have been hopeless defensively at times this season, most notably conceding five goals to Real Madrid at Anfield, and as a result, United must adopt a daring offensive strategy.
Antony’s trickery dazzles, but his inability to carve out a chance or fashion a shot is what holds him back.
Instead, he finds himself returning for more. That was seen last weekend at Wembley, where despite defeating Dan Burn all ends up, he decided to try it all over again before being sent to the deck by Joelinton.
There’s also his famous spin, which he debuted in United colors earlier this season during Sheriff Tiraspol.
On BT Sport, Ian Darke suggested he was playing as if he were on the television show “Strictly Come Dancing” for that rather comedic moment.
Other options must be preferred this weekend, as he is always the showboater and very rarely the man for the big occasion.
United remain the favorites, but without Antony, the odds will almost certainly shift in their favor.
