Man Utd only valued Antony at £25m when they first scouted him | OneFootball

Highlights

Before Manchester United splashed the cash on the underperforming winger Antony, formerly of Ajax, a report from The Athletic has suggested that club scouts had valued him at just a fraction of the £85 million they eventually parted ways with to gain his services. Recruitment staff at the club reportedly only saw a £25m when they initially scouted the 15-cap Brazil international.

Antony’s signature was sealed on Deadline Day of the 2022 summer transfer market, with Erik ten Hag keen to reunite with the Brazilian after years of success in the Netherlands, with the forward describing his move to United as 'an incredible moment'. The club’s £85 million acquisition of the then-22-year-old became their second-highest transfer in their storied history – but it’s not unfair to say that the Red Devils did not exactly spend their money wisely. Antony did, however, announce himself on the scene by scoring three goals in as many league games, leaving the Old Trafford faithful pleased with their club’s business.

But overall, Antony has scored just eight goals and notched a further three assists in 62 games across all competitions and has, in turn, left a lot to be desired, with club icon Jaap Stam describing how he's not good enough to play for the Red Devils. For such a hefty outlay, the Sao Paulo-born winger was tasked with carrying the burden of becoming one of Ten Hag’s most influential players, but now, it has emerged that United could have saved some cash on the back of their scouts' recommendations.

Man United went over their budget for Antony in 2022

United had set a maximum budget of £60m

While Ten Hag has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get a tune out of the former Ajax ace, The Athletic have released an eye-opening story about the lead up to snaring his signature back in the summer of 2022. According to the report, club scouts valued Antony at £60m cheaper than what they eventually shelled out.

During Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure in the Theatre of Dreams dugout, scouts were monitoring the forward while he was earning his corn in the Eredivisie. For the Amsterdam-based outfit, Antony was much more fruitful in the final third, plundering 24 goals and 22 assists in his 82-game stint. Though, his return did not exactly set European football alight and, as such, was valued at £25 million by United’s staff members.

Transfer negotiations between both parties saw United initially flat out refuse to pay more than the £60 million mark as they cut off talks with his previous employers – purely on the basis that other positions had already been ironed out earlier in the window. But Ten Hag still felt the need to add another attacker to his roster and a glimpse of desperation saw them fork out £20 million more for his name in the dying embers of the summer. Edwin van der Sar, Ajax’s chief executive, later told The Athletic that while Antony could flourish under Ten Hag, they had ‘challenged’ United to go ‘as far as possible’ with their willingness to spend big.

Considered one of the Premier League’s most overpaid players from a wages perspective, Antony was one of Ten Hag’s marquee targets and it seemed the Dutchman, who is reportedly interested in offloading five players in the impending winter window, was willing to do whatever it took to see him pen a deal with the 13-time Premier League champions.

Antony not expected to leave Manchester United in January

Fabrizio Romano reports he will stay at Old Trafford

With the January transfer window on the horizon, clubs will be re-assessing their squads to pinpoint areas of dire need – United included. Reports had linked Antony with a move away in the winter window, with The Sun writing in November that the winger could be a part of a firesale once INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquires the club. However, Fabrizio Romano told GIVEMESPORT in December that the Red Devils were not planning on getting rid of the 23-year-old.

United fans will still hope for some movement in the winter window when Ratcliffe acquires control. A boyhood fan of the Old Trafford outfit, he is eager to get his 25 percent stake – worth £1.25 billion – over the line before 25 December, according to BBC Sport, while huge movements in negotiations have been happening across the last week or so.

Once a deal between the British billionaire and the club’s hierarchy – most notably their owners, the Glazers – has been officially rubber-stamped, it is understood that it will take around six to eight weeks for the high-profile stake to be finalised and signed off by the Premier League. Only time will tell if that time frame impacts United's winter business.