Sancho's Manchester United career has been so lackluster that many people may not believe it when he says it – United have won his last five Premier League debuts! With his start, United are unbeaten in 14 matches.
Of course, there is no point in saying that now, Sancho is leaving. Here's another set of stats: Sancho's last goal at Old Trafford was actually a little later than Marcus Rashford, and certainly a little later than Antony, who was in the same position.
Saying Antony's arrival hastened Sancho's departure will only add to the pressure on the former. Manchester United have a problem with the winger position, but no one knows if Antony is capable of solving the problem.
Sancho's state is a fan, and the reasons are actually quite complicated. Last season, he ranked seventh among all players in the Premier League for expected assists (XA) in league games. Jadon Sancho has the ability and he wanted to play well, but he just didn't play well. The breakdown of relations with Ten Hag has made matters worse.
Antony's question is, no matter how good he is on the pitch and how positive his attitude is, can his ability really match United's expectations?
After Antony's transfer to Manchester United the year before. Dutch legend Van Basten said: "He plays too childishly, and I don't like his shots. You just look at the stats, you look at the goals and the assists. I have a very general impression of him. Gullit has also spoken publicly that Antony may not be able to establish himself in the Premier League.
Recently, Stam commented on Antony's time at Ajax, and he said it more tactfully'He played okay in the Netherlands, he wasn't the best player in the Netherlands [in the league]."
The stats don't lie, as Trent Alexander-Arnold's final season in the Eredivisie has included players who have scored more goals and assists than him in the league – and the list is a bit long – Tadic, Gakpo, Sinistella, Alle, Gaspar Karlsson and Norwich van Wolfswicker.
Several of the players above have since moved, Sinisterra for £21 million to Leeds United, Karlsson for £9.5 million to Bologna and Gakpo for £37 million to LiverpoolIt doesn't add up to as expensive as Anthony.
Then there's Oppenda, who played 18 goals for Vitesse in the 2021-22 season. In the summer of 2022, Lens bought him for £8.5 million. Last summer, Lens sold him to RB Bizig for more than £30 million.
Today, we don't discuss whether Manchester United are buying too expensive, but only asking what kind of expectations of Antony are reasonable now. At Ajax, he often shows off his skills and his output is average. On the higher platform of the Premier League, he still seems to be the same.
In January last year, Antony made his Red Devils debut when he fired a low shot into the Arsenal goal. So far, it remains his only league goal at the Theatre of Dreams.
He plays as a winger, but he lacks impact and is still a crippled foot. With such technical characteristics, it is naturally impossible to overtake people on the outside line, so he likes to cut inside.
Anthony does want to contribute to the team on the pitch, which is not a problem in itself and deserves to be recognized. However, he didn't have a strong shooting skill or a scalpel-like passing skill. In this way, the harder he works, the more he hurts the team.
The above is still only a situation of positional warfare, and in the fast attack, his weaknesses are infinitely magnified. Lately, Ten Hag has been keen to build United into a fast-attacking team.
Anthony has the merits, and the pressing is fierce and aggressive. Since the start of the season, he has averaged 1 ball per 90 minutes58 times, the second highest among all players in the Premier League.
This season, Antony's old Ajax team-mate Kudus has also come to the Premier League and has played well at West Ham.
"Anthony has the skills, but he doesn't understand how to play on the pitch. Kudus is more technical," Van Basten commented, "Kudus is smarter and has better technology. He knows how to play, he's more like a footballer, you can put him anywhere on the pitch, he's an all-round player in the team. To be honest, I prefer the Kudus ...... to AnthonyIt's more interesting to watch him play. ”
It's more interesting and more efficient. Antony's Premier League career goal tally is four, and Kudus came a year later, playing only 16 league games and scoring six.
Is Anthony still saved? Stam's point should resonate with a lot of people. 'Now you look at Antony and you don't see the possibility of him rising in the Premier League, the possibility of him growing into a game-changing winger. ”
Gary Neville has a little advice for Anthony:
'He's got to play his way on the pitch so his team-mates know what he's going to do......
I mentioned Mahrez before and he should really look at how Mahrez plays and look at it and study it. Mahrez played simple but very efficient on the pitch. The team and his teammates can read his intentions.
"Anthony dares to fight and always get the ball, but you have to have an output, and you have to judge players by the data. ”
Antony will turn 24 next month, which is the age of a winger. Sancho is gone, and we'll see if Antony can kick it out.