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Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand deliver some hard truths about Antony

Published 13:40 23 Jan 2023 GMT

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"He just doesn’t beat anyone."

Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville have questioned the performances of Manchester United winger Antony. The Red Devils signed Antony from Ajax in a transfer worth €95m (£82m) but he has experienced a mixed start to life at Old Trafford. The Brazil international has scored three goals in 11 Premier League games this season so far, but played poorly in the Red Devils' 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Antony was criticised by the two Man United legends following the match.

Antony: Neville & Ferdinand question Man United winger.

Ferdinand questioned why Antony struggled to dribble past opponents against the Gunners and compared this to his performances for Ajax. The winger, 22, attempted five dribbles against Arsenal but was unsuccessful with every attempt.

"He just doesn’t beat anyone," Ferdinand said about Antony on his Vibe with FIVE show.

"I’m sitting there thinking, 'Was that always the way?' I’ve seen clips of him when he was at Ajax and he was somebody who used to beat people."

Ferdinand also said he was surprised by Antony's performance, claiming that the winger doesn't appear to have sufficient 'power' in his legs to run past opponents. "I saw Thomas Partey, who I wouldn’t put down as a sprinter, absolutely burst past him," the former United defender said. "I’m thinking, 'Woah, he (Antony) hasn’t got much power in them legs!' "He’s a tricky winger, but with tricky wingers you want them to still be able to beat the defender."

Neville also raised concerns about Antony. The former Man United captain said he expects better performances from the winger given his price tag, but also conceded that he may need more time to adjust to English football. "I wish they had better quality up front in the final third," Neville said about Ten Hag's team on his podcast. "Obviously, (Jadon) Sancho's not out there and you would expect that Manchester United would have better options from the bench, but they haven't at this moment in time." "I want to see a little bit more from Antony, to be honest with you - a £90m signing."

Neville said it was a 'disappointment' that Ten Hag substituted Antony with the game in the balance, but had no choice as the player had not performed well enough. "It's just not quite happening for him at this moment in time," the Sky Sports pundit said. "He's got a bit of work to do. He's got obviously some growth to go through and obviously he's newer to England than the other two are, but there are little complaints at this moment in time."