Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag needs to make an obvious ruthless decision vs Man City

Manchester United have been guilty of committing a catalogue of mistakes when it has come to recruitment in recent years, but the £85.5million acquisition of Antony is threatening to become their biggest.

Following in the footsteps of manager Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2022, the Brazilian swapped Amsterdam for Manchester, completing a switch to Old Trafford in the closing stages of the transfer window from Ajax. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win over Arsenal.

There have been the occasional flashpoints since, but his United career is still yet to get off the ground. He has scored just eight goals in 52 appearances, meaning he has cost the club just under £10.7m per goal so far.

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To make matters even worse, he has not found the net for United since scoring in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on April 16. He also grabbed an assist that day, teeing up Diogo Dalot for the Reds' second goal of the afternoon.

Even during his current run of 17 games without a goal, he hasn't saved himself by turning into a creator. He has recorded just one assist during this barren spell, that being against Wolves back in May.

The longer his drought and struggles to influence matches persist, the harder it is becoming for Ten Hag to defend the Brazilian. The United boss was insistent on being reunited with him in M16, earmarking him as his primary target to strengthen the club's right-wing options, just 13 months after they had splashed out £72.9m on long-term target Jadon Sancho.

Whichever way you attempt to make excuses for