MANCHESTER UNITED legend Andy Cole has suggested that Antony is a “Primark” player who just happens to have a “Zara” price tag.
And the Treble winner admits the Brazilian winger would have left him “pulling his hair out” in his playing days.
ReutersAntony is a ‘Primark’ player who happens to have a ‘Zara’ price-tag, says Andy Cole[/caption]
Antony, 23, cost a whopping £85.5million when United signed him from Ajax in 2022.
Big things were expected from the left-footer, who had shined under Erik ten Hag in the Dutch capital.
But Antony’s first Premier League season saw him net just four times in 25 outings.
And he is yet to score once in nine games this season after taking time off to deal with allegations of domestic abuse.
Fans are starting to lose patience after also seeing Jadon Sancho frozen out at Old Trafford.
And one former United player who believes Antony must pull his socks up is five-time Premier League winner Cole.
He scored a brilliant 121 goals in 275 games under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Cole was regularly assisted by wide-men superstars like Ryan Giggs and David Beckham.
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PACole says he’d be ‘ripping his hair out’ sharing the same pitch as Antony[/caption]
And he believes Antony’s price tag is not reflected in his performances on the pitch.
Indeed, Cole reckons the winger may as well have been plucked from “Primark” despite coming with a “Zara” price tag.
And the 15-time England international is adamant he would been “driven mad” if he’d had to share the same pitch as Antony during his playing career.
Cole told Betfred: “If I played with Antony, it would drive me mad. As a centre-forward, if you’re playing with someone like Antony and he doesn’t get to the byline and put crosses in, then you’re going to be pulling your hair out.
“Strikers need crosses, especially Rasmus Hojlund who hasn’t scored in the Premier League yet. When Antony cuts in on his left-foot, nine times out of ten he’s going to shoot.
“The only chances Hojlund’s going to receive from Antony is if the opposition goalkeeper parries any of his shots from distance.
“I sometimes have to ask myself what Antony’s strengths are? He doesn’t take players on, he doesn’t create chances and he doesn’t score goals. So what are his strengths?
“We paid a massive amount of money for him. When you look at a club like Brighton who signed [Kaoru] Mitoma for £2.7 million, then you have to ask what market are Manchester United shopping in when Brighton pays that for Mitoma and we end up paying £86 million for Antony?
“Are we not shopping in the same market? It’s like Primark and Zara; you think by paying more to shop at Zara, the quality will be better, but it turns out to be the same as Primark, so you end up paying more for the same thing.
“I look at the transfers we’ve made over the last 10 years and we’ve spent a hell of a lot of money on players that other clubs would have paid less for, so is it a case of Manchester United tax? We can’t continue doing that.
“Antony’s had a really disappointing season. I understand he’s had things going on in the background, but that aside, playing football is ultimately what he does and I struggle to see what he has given the team so far.
“If his form doesn’t improve throughout the season, you never know what will happen. It all depends on how much longer the manager wants to stick with him.”
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