“You are complete fools you let him go for a cheaper price than you got him. It just shows how wasteful the team is. It is a humiliating loss of the highest level” – According to Roy Keane, Manchester United should be seen as “complete idiots” if they allow their £40m star to return to his former club, describing it as a “humiliating loss of face at the highest level.”
Manchester United have been cautioned that they risk looking “foolish” if they allow their £86m signing, Antony, to return to Ajax either in January or during the summer transfer window.
In 2022, the Red Devils shelled out approximately £86 million for the Brazilian winger, who had flourished under Erik ten Hag at Ajax. However, Antony has failed to replicate that form at Old Trafford. Last season, he only contributed to two goals across 29 Premier League matches and has since slipped down the team’s hierarchy.
This season, Antony has only clocked 27 minutes in the Premier League and is now being linked with a potential departure.
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United are reportedly “open” to loaning Antony out in January, with the possibility of a permanent move next summer. The club is said to be willing to entertain offers around £40 million for the 24-year-old.
While a return to Ajax has been suggested, Dutch journalist Bart Sanders believes a move to Wolves is more realistic, as rejoining his former club could damage Manchester United’s reputation.
“Manchester United would never entertain that idea from a pride standpoint. It would be humiliating to spend €100 million on a player only to loan him back to his previous club within two years. That would be the height of embarrassment, wouldn’t it?” Sanders commented.
He added that clubs like FC Porto, Benfica, or Wolves could offer Antony new opportunities, noting that while his time at Manchester United hasn’t been successful, he did play a crucial role when Ajax won all six of their Champions League group stage games.
“Sporting Portugal still sees him as a threat, so there will definitely be clubs interested in taking him on loan,” Sanders concluded.
