Manchester United have been warned that Antony could be the new Nicolas Pepe and boss Erik ten Hag has been urged to drop the Brazilian for the trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Sunday. The winger came off the bench at half-time of the 2-1 win over Manchester City but was restored to the starting lineup for the 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
With the Red Devils leading 1-0 at Selhurst Park courtesy of Bruno Fernandes’ finish, Antony was substituted off after the hour mark for Alejandro Garnacho and had to watch from the bench as Michael Olise scored the equalising goal in stoppage time with a stunning free-kick.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor was not impressed with Antony’s performance before he was taken off, comparing him to Arsenal flop Pepe and claiming that Garnacho should start against the Premier League leaders instead of the 22-year-old.
“Antony for me, watching him last night he wasn’t happy when he got dragged [off],” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. “He doesn’t do enough for me, he’s giving me like Pepe who used to be at Arsenal vibes. Tricks, doesn’t really beat a player and they need, for me, Garnacho to start against Arsenal.
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“They need Jadon Sancho to get back amongst it, they need more options on the wing because Antony is not at it at the moment. Maybe he will with time, but at the moment he’s not doing enough.”
Antony moved to Old Trafford in the summer for £85million, similar to how Arsenal broke their transfer record to bring Pepe to north London in 2019. The Ivorian struggled to adapt to the English league and joined Nice on loan for the season, where he has scored six goals in 16 Ligue 1 appearances so far this campaign.
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Garnacho was once again a bright spark off the bench for United, despite a disappointing second-half performance that saw the Red Devils give up their lead in the closing stages of the game, while the 18-year-old Argentine is set to be rewarded with a new contract.
United have reportedly made an improved contract offer to Garnacho, though whether his improved gametime would affect Antony remains to be seen as the soon-to-be Argentina international has largely come on at left-wing when Marcus Rashford plays through the middle.
Antony has played on the right since moving to the Premier League, though Fernandes was moved to that role in the Manchester derby as an extra body in Fred was used in midfield. Sancho could impact Antony’s minutes as he continues to ramp up ahead of a potential return, as the Englishman has now returned to full training.
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