“He wasn’t the same Grealish that played at Aston Villa.”
Manchester United look set to sign Antony for around £80m just before the transfer window closes tomorrow.
The Ajax winger has 31 goals and 27 assists in 134 club appearances, and Erik ten Hag is very keen to see him at Old Trafford.
With speculation still surrounding the possible exit of Cristiano Ronaldo, bringing in more reinforcements for attacking options does seem to be the wise move.
However, former United captain Rio Ferdinand has some concerns about the hefty price tag and whether he can deal with the pressure.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the ex-United defender compares the potential signing to Manchester City’s signing of Jack Grealish last season.
“Antony, you hope he comes in at the levels he’s coming in at, £100m or around that figure. You hope he comes in and it doesn’t weigh heavily around his neck.
“You look at Grealish last year, he wasn’t the same Grealish that played at Aston Villa, so it can weigh heavy. He won the league so he’s happy, it doesn’t matter.”
“But sometimes players come in under big transfer fees and they don’t play with the freedom they had before and that can be [due to] a couple of things.
“The price tag weighing heavy and the pressure and the attention being under the spotlight. A new environment and culture they’re not used to and a team set up they’re not used to.
“Those three things are big things that come into play when you sign but you have to have the personality and character to deal with all that.”
