Erik ten Hag’s tenure came to an end after the defeat to West Ham a couple of weeks ago with INEOS brining in Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon as head coach.
After a fairly successful first season, the former Dutch manager lost his way and his era was characterised by multiple dressing room rifts while question marks were also raised about his talent identification.
Most of his signings have failed to have the desired impact with Antony being the worst of the lot and the Brazilian is likely to follow his manager out of the door.
He managed just 27 minutes of action in the Premier League this term under his former boss with interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy not utilising him at all. He has largely underwhelmed since his £86 million move two summers ago.
Antony needs to go
The Portuguese tactician is open to giving him a clean slate but the winger wants more minutes and is set for showdown talks with the club.
It is unlikely to end well and TBR Football have now revealed that the Red Devils are planning to send the 24-year-old back to his home country in exchange for a standout young Brazilian talent as early as January.
Flamengo’s 18-year-old playmaker Lorran is someone the 20-time English league champions have been keeping their eyes on for sometime now but lots of other European heavyweights are also looking at the Rio de Janeiro-born star.
And with Flamengo interested in the former Ajax star, a swap deal could be the best way for United to beat their competition and land the Brazil U17 international in the winter.
“TBR Football understands Man United might explore using Antony as part of a January bid for young Flamengo star Lorran. United have long-standing interest in 18-year-old Lorran, who is high on the radar of a host of Premier League clubs who are contemplating a move in January.
“Lorran was strongly linked with a move to England before when United were showing interest, and Dan Ashworth and his team may now have a trick up their sleeves.
“United have already told Antony he can leave the club in January amid his struggles. And given that Flamengo are one of the sides to show an interest in the winger, he could be involved in talks to sign Lorran at some point.
Lorran chase
“However, United are not alone in their admiration for Lorran. West Ham and Brighton also want Lorran in January. Of course, there is also interest from Europe with the likes of RB Leipzig, Marseille and Atalanta.”
The report also added that Lorran wants to move to England and that the “explosive” talent is ready to handle the physicality of the English top-flight.
He reportedly has a release clause of €50 million however Flamengo are open to a cut-price exit in January and a swap deal with Antony makes a lot of sense.
Lorran can play as an attacking midfielder as well as out wide, and versatility will be a key trait to survive in Amorim’s system.
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
