Manchester United succumbed to a 3-4 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday to crash out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage.
Ruben Amorim’s decision to make multiple changes backfired with Altay Bayindir, who received his first start under the new head coach, at fault for two of the goals conceded.
The Portuguese decided to hand a rare start to Antony despite Amad Diallo’s heroics in the Manchester derby. And it is safe to say that the Brazilian was an eyesore yet again.
He lost possession with his first touch and was often weak in physical duels, a trait regularly seen since his initial £82 million move two years ago.
Amorim was not at all pleased with Antony
Even when trying to help the defence, he did not cover himself in glory, putting in a half-baked sliding challenge which Djed Spence dodged with ease.
Amorim was left exasperated moments later as he was easily dispossessed by Spence again and it was a surprise to see the Brazilian emerge for the second half. The coach tried to guide him as he barked instructions but to no avail.
He was eventually replaced in the 55th minute and Amad Diallo was an instant improvement, scoring once and putting the Spurs backline under pressure at every moment.
The former Ajax star tried to dribble past his opponent on four occasions, failing each time and managed only 13 passes while losing possession 11 times (stats via sofascore).
Dismal display
He won only 29 percent of his duels, a shambolic figure, while having zero shots on target. Mainly used as a right wingback in his two most recent cameos, the boss had praised the Brazil international but the forward failed to grasp his opportunity.
It is clear that Amad is streets clear of Antony, who is not good enough defensively nor is he potent up front. Amorim must get rid as soon as possible.
The problem is not too many suitors will come forward for a player so woefully out of form. The 20-year-old has a current market value of €20 million while he earns a humongous £200,000 per week (as per capology).
How the Glazers sanctioned such an expensive deal will never make sense and INEOS are likely to incur a huge loss while probably having to hand a payoff to the player as no other club will cover his wages.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
