Just five goals and no assists – Why has Antony struggled at Man Utd after thriving at Ajax?

Over 100 days since last goal 

While Manchester United fans can be relatively happy with the performance their team put in despite their 3-2 defeat to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, there was one player in particular that continued to frustrate the away support. Aside from the obvious absence of Casemiro, the Red Devils were constantly frustrated not only by the speed and efficiency of Mikel Arteta’s team, but also the lack of any cutting edge from new signing Antony. 

This, unfortunately, is becoming something of a running problem with the new Man Utd star. Signed from Ajax for a remarkable fee of €95 million in August of 2022, Antony made the move to Old Trafford as the Premier League side’s second most expensive signing ever. However, despite a strong start in the English top-flight that saw Antony score three goals in three games against Arsenal, Manchester City and ten Everton, the Brazil international has failed to bag a single goal or assist since then. Which means he’s now gone over 100 days since he last contributed a goal or assist to Erik ten Hag’s team. So what’s gone wrong for Antony at Man Utd this season and why has there been such a sudden drop off in his performances in England, compared to what he achieved in Amsterdam?

From Ajax superstar to Man Utd flop – what’s gone wrong for Antony?

When we take a look at Antony’s performances in the Eredivisie, there’s little doubt that he simply isn’t offering the same kind of output for Man Utd this season. Over the course of 82 games for the Dutch giants, Antony bagged 24 goals and 22 assists. Which worked out at around 0.73 goals and assists per 90 minutes of football. So far for Man Utd, that number has stood at just 0.34 per 90. While it’s normal to expect a slight dip in output due to Antony joining a bigger league with better players, there has been a drastic drop off in one notable aspect in his game. While his goals for Man Utd (0.34 per 90) are actually not too far off what he achieved at Ajax (0.39 per 90), his assists have completely flatlined in the Premier League. In the Netherlands the forward was averaging 0.35 assists per 90, but so far this season the 22-year-old talent hasn’t managed to pick up a single one in Ten Hag’s team. 

Man Utd” src=”https://tmssl.akamaized.net/images/foto/newsansicht/antonys-record-at-Man-utd-1674564635-100600.png?lm=1674564665″ alt=”Antony’s record at Man Utd” width=”503″ height=”629″/>

However, this may actually be good news for Man Utd fans. Antony’s goal tally points to a player that hasn’t struggled to find the back of the net despite making the step up and while his lack of assists may be down to him struggling to get his passes on point, it’s far more likely that he’s simply playing in a team that hasn’t had a proven No.9 for much of the season. Which, as any Man Utd fan can attest to, is certainly the case with Ten Hag’s side. Or at least it was until Wout Weghorst joined the club this month. Indeed, the real test of Antony’s abilities at Man Utd will likely become evident in the coming months, now that the Brazilian forward has a classic target Man in the box to aim for and an in-form Marcus Rashford to partner with in the final third. But for now the young forward still has plenty of work to do before he can claim to be living up to that tremendous transfer fee in August.

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