Ruben Amorim lays out ultimatum to Antony to finally get £86m Man Utd star firing
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Ruben Amorim wants to find the old Ajax Antony by rebuilding the Brazilian’s fragile confidence - if the winger is prepared to keep working “really hard”. Manchester United paid £86m for Antony in September 2022 in arguably the worst value-for-money signing in Premier League history. He has scored only once this injury-hit season - in the Carabao Cup at Barnsley - and has not found the net in the top flight since April 2023.
Amorin saw the best of Antony when his Sporting Lisbon side conceded nine goals in two defeats to Erik ten Hag’s Ajax in the 2021-22 Champions League - and insists he can recreate that form. But with Marcus Rashford dropped, Alejandro Garnacho on the bench and Mason Mount injured, the ineffective Antony started in the Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham. And Manchester United only improved after Amorim’s triple substitution after 55 minutes where Amad Diallo replaced the Brazilian.
“He needs more confidence,” insisted the Portuguese manager. “If you remember the Antony that played in Ajax, he lacks a little bit of confidence to go one against one, but he will improve. He is working really hard and trying and playing more inside than outside, especially in this game. He just has to do that. To work really hard and I will help him to be a better player.”.
Mount has also failed to justify his £55m price tag since joining in July 2023 and is now out for “several weeks” with a muscle injury. And Amorim expressed his frustration that his latest setback - plus United’s busy fixture schedule - will slow his integration into his side.
