There are a number of major factors behind Manchester United's fall in recent seasons that are outside of Erik ten Hag's control, such as the noise around Sir Jim Ratcliffe's proposed purchase of a 25% stake in the club as well as the ill-fated number of injuries in the squad.
However, one area that Ten Hag can be criticised for is his recruitment at Old Trafford, having spent over £400m since the 2022 summer transfer window to bring 16 new players to the club, averaging £35m per deal, according to Transfermarkt.
These expensive acquisitions are hardly setting the world alight and one recent arrival in particular is struggling to adapt to life in English football, having become the club's second most expensive purchase of all time.
Antony over Sancho
Ten Hag knew Antony from his time in Amsterdam coaching Ajax. The duo won two Eredivisie titles together before the Dutch coach headed for Old Trafford in 2022. One of his first signings as manager of the Red Devils was to bring his Brazilian star with him to the Theatre of Dreams for a reported £82m, the most expensive sale in the history of football in The Netherlands.
Antony hit the ground running on his debut, scoring against Arsenal as the Red Devils picked up a valuable 3-1 win. This was the start of a solid individual campaign for the winger who managed to score eight goals and register three assists in all competitions in his first season with United.
Unfortunately for the player and manager, Antony has been unable to get going this season and has come under fire for some of his performances.
Club legend Gary Neville even labelled Antony as "embarrassing" during the team's dismal derby defeat against Manchester City over a week ago.
There were even reports that Jadon Sancho grew frustrated with Antony being picked in the starting lineup in the build-up to his recent falling out with ten Hag. But has Antony been as bad as has been made out?
Antony's stats this season
Manchester United came away with a huge 1-0 win over Fulham at the weekend to stay in the race for top four. The goal came late in the game through a cracking Bruno Fernandes strike after some hard work from Facundo Pellistri to force Joao Palhinha to scuff his clearance, handing the ball straight to the United skipper at the edge of the penalty area.
It was Pellistri who had come on for Antony with a half-hour to go after the Brazil international failed to have a single shot on goal or create any chances at Craven Cottage. Furthermore, the 23-year-old lost possession ten times in 63 minutes, according to Sofascore. In the Manchester Evening News' player ratings after the game, Samuel Luckhurst even put Antony down as having a 2/10 display. Damning indeed.
In 32 minutes, Pellistri managed to get an assist, register a shot on target and not lose the ball once, as per FotMob, playing an integral part in the side's late victory. In the Premier League this season, Pellistri is averaging an xG of 0.38 per 90 compared to Alejandro Garnacho's 0.19 xG per 90 and Antony's lowly 0.15 xG per 90.
Of the three right-wingers, Antony boasts the highest expected assists (xA) per 90 with 0.13 per 90 while Pellistri and Garnacho are both locked on 0.08 xA per 90. However, Pellistri is the only one with an assist to his name despite making three fewer appearances, according to FBref.
Garnacho is far more efficient at carrying the ball up the pitch than his counterparts and is averaging 7.84 progressive carries per 90 this season to Antony's 3.65 per 90 and Pellistri's 3.08 per 90. Meanwhile, Pellistri receives the ball in the most advanced positions, averaging 16.2 progressive passes received per 90 to Antony's 13.3 per 90 and Garnacho's 12.2 per 90.
The only area that Antony stands out from Pellistri and Garnacho is in his tackling, given that he is quite a tenacious character on the pitch if nothing else. However, it may be time for Pellistri or Garnacho to claim their starting spot in the team over the struggling star who is on £200k-per-week.