PSV Eindhoven chief describes Manchester United deal for Antony as 'madness'

PSV Eindhoven chief Marcel Brands has described the fee Manchester United paid for Antony as "madness".

United signed Antony for £85.5million at the end of the summer transfer window after protracted negotiations. The Reds initially refused to meet Ajax's valuation, before being forced to pay even more due to the limited time left in the market.

There can be no doubt that Erik ten Hag's side were forced to pay a premium. And Brands has criticised the club's deal for Antony when compared to the deals done by the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

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“If you compare it with transfers that were realistic, such as that of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City to Arsenal: that was also around that rate,” he told Voetbalprimeur. “Those are normal amounts. I think everyone in football knows that Antony was a madness.

“I think Raphinha [who joined Barcelona for around £55million] is an even better player than Antony, but he left for much less.”

Antony has shown moments of quality that can justify United's spending, but the Brazilian is still adapting to a new league and team. A wonderful goal on his debut against Arsenal provided plenty of promise, and while a tally of six further strikes across all competitions is far from poor, both he and Ten Hag will expect a bigger impact after a full pre-season with the club.

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