'Predictable' Man Utd flop is undermining Hojlund and Ten Hag
Tom Weber
- Updated: 15 Nov 2023 18:46 GMT
- 4 min read
Manchester United legend Louis Saha has accused Antony of actively inhibiting the effectiveness of Rasmus Hojlund.
The Brazilian has been an unmitigated disaster for the Red Devils since following Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford from Ajax. The Manchester giants shelled out a ridiculous €95 million to sign him and the 23-year-old is quickly becoming one of the biggest flop signings in Premier League history, not helped by his off-field issues involving domestic abuse allegations.
With Man Utd enduring a dire campaign so far, Antony has become symbolic of the larger failure of Ten Hag and company to consistently turn things around at the club despite a very promising first season. However, Antony isn't the only problem.
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Indeed, Ten Hag's entire attack has been completely impotent in the Premier League this term, with Marcus Rashford the only offensive player to get on the scoresheet so far. Young striker Rasmus Hojlund can't stop scoring in the Champions League, but the exact opposite is true of his Premier League form as the 20-year-old continues to search for his maiden league goal.
Red Devils legend Louis Saha believes that some of this is because of Antony's one-dimensional game that sees him, without fail, cutting inside on his strong left foot from his right-wing position. This glaring issue of his was already evident in the Eredivisie and the Brazilian has done little to change his ways, which Saha believes is actively holding Hojlund back.
What did Saha say?
Asked by Betfred whether Antony can have a long-term career at Old Trafford, Saha said: “I don’t know. It was a really tough introduction to the Premier League for him. He was able to score a few goals, but now the defenders are aware of his game and read him very well."
"He has no joy because he’s predictable and as a striker, when a winger is cutting in and putting in a cross, they provide types of balls that are really hard to read and connect with. You need crosses that are hit with pace in between the defenders and the goalkeeper and that’s not what Antony is providing."
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“Manchester United now have a striker that’s looking for those types of crosses but Antony isn’t offering those options. He needs to do the right things for the team, regardless of whether he likes to do them or not.”
"I, like many other fans, have been really patient with Antony, but now he has to bring more diversity to his game and come out of his comfort zone. If he doesn’t come out of his comfort zone, then what he’s doing currently isn’t going to work for this team."
