Antony hasn't done what Gary Neville wanted after best Manchester United performance

Antony was exceptional the last time Manchester United played at the City Ground. Now that performance is viewed only as an exception to the norm.

What looked like the match to finally launch his Old Trafford career has proven to be the high point. It is evidence that he can be a success in the Premier League but it is now so long ago that it is hard to believe another will come anytime soon.

The Brazilian winger was the standout performer for United that day back in April. A goal and an assist from the right winger teased a turning point; instead, Antony has done another of his trademark turns and finds himself back in full circle.

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"He has looked frustrating at times but with someone like him, you just need to persist with him," Gary Neville insisted after the win. "Obviously they have paid a lot of money, so they will. If he can gain consistency to his game and his decision-making in the final third can become a little bit more refined, he becomes a hell of a player."

Antony has been consistent since that match; it's just been consistently underwhelming. Since that last visit to face Nottingham Forest, he has gone 29 competitive matches without a goal and with just a single assist to his name.

It remains the only away goal he has scored in the Premier League; it was the only time he has ever scored and assisted in the same game since joining the club.

It is perhaps unfair to judge him just on his numbers, but the harsh truth is that it is the reality of modern football. Just as unavoidable as his record is his enormous price tag.

United paid £86 million for a winger who, in all