Man Utd must sell disaster signing who earns 7x more than Amad

The rogue cascade from the Old Trafford roof was an allegorical expression of all that has gone wrong at Manchester United.

As the players trudged off the pitch on Sunday evening, there was surely an understanding that the Premier League campaign must go down as a failure, eighth-placed ahead of the final two fixtures and with two wins from 11.

Isolated, a 1-0 defeat against title-chasing Arsenal, who are so oiled, so slick, so sublime in their football, is not the worst result in the world. Erik ten Hag has bemoaned injuries interminably but the Dutchman does have a point – Man United have been ravaged on that front and building on last season’s tentative success was always going to be difficult.

But this is emblematic of a wider, gaping problem, with the Gunners firing themselves back into first place and United dismayed after suffering a ninth home defeat of the campaign in all competitions.

There was, at least, something of a response after being carved open at Selhurst Park on Sunday, with Man United’s inherent youth pedigree proving itself once again as the shining light, the beacon of hope, that may yet see the sun stretch onto the leaky Theatre once again.

Amad Diallo’s performance vs Arsenal

Long have United reaped the rewards of a steady flow of academy and youthful talent filtering through to the first team – the historic record of having an academy graduate in the Premier League matchday squad since October 1937 stands tall and proud to this day.

Against Arsenal, Kobbie Mainoo featured and continued to offer such promise, a diamond in the rough, though he wasn’t the standout for the home team. While he’s not from Carrington, Amad Diallo produced yet another convincing display that suggests he should earn a more regular role under Ten Hag.

Starting for the first time in the Premier League this season, the 21-year-old lasted 70 minutes but certainly made an impression on the right flank, offering a rounded performance full of energy and spirit.

Amad is showcasing his quality and ability to step up in big games and he must surely play a bigger part in his team’s football next season, having also scored a dramatic winner against Liverpool in their FA Cup quarter-final tie.

Penning his post-match thoughts, the Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst handed the young winger a 7/10 rating and wrote: ‘His first start in 886 days and performed so enterprisingly it remains mystifying why Erik ten Hag has started Antony and Omari Forson over him.’

It was a combative and creative effort of equal measure, with the young Ivorian’s ball-carrying skills having an influence on the team that certain positional peers failed to muster up themselves.

Indeed, Antony replaced Amad and while he enjoyed a lively cameo, the Brazil international has flattered to deceive in England and must surely now be sold this summer.

Why Antony must be sold

In the summer of 2022, Antony was signed from Eredivisie side Ajax for a jaw-dropping fee of £86m, but his first season left plenty to be desired and the current campaign has seen a return of just three goals and two assists from 38 matches in all competitions.

Earlier in the campaign, Forbes’ Sam Pilger remarked that Facundo Pellistri needed “to start games ahead of the woeful Antony“, but might it be that Amad has been the rightful heir to the struggling forward’s position in Ten Hag’s squad all along?

Antony is an aggressive and committed player, to his credit, ranking among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 7% for interceptions and the top 1% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

But he also ranks among the bottom 4% for goals scored and the bottom 21% for assists per 90 – content creator Liam Canning has dubbed the 24-year-old as “unpredictable” in the past but his inability to hit a vein of prolific form has become dully tedious, in all honesty.

He was signed for a mammoth figure but his travails over the past two years have left him valued at just £27m at present, according to Football Transfers, which is probably a fair measure of where he is at on the market.

Moreover, he is earning a staggering salary for one so ineffective, taking home £200k per week to place him on the edge of the bloated overpaid top earners at Old Trafford.

Amad, naturally, is nowhere near the upper end of the salary rankings at the club, earning just short of £29k per week, and while that is a fair reflection of his age and current standing in the team, this is seven times less than Antony’s pay packet and based on recent performances, the disparity in wage does not equate to a difference in playing level. In fact, Amad might just be the superior player.

Of that entire list, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the only players who can state that they have enjoyed high levels of success at Man United.

Antony is not proving himself to be Red Devil material and there it seems unlikely that he will ever reach the height that would see him playing up to the price tag. He must be sold this summer, with Ten Hag perhaps even wise to unleash Amad in his stead over the final two fixtures of the term, ensuring that he never wears this historic shirt again.

INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have much work to do in Greater Manchester this summer, and while there are several other pressing concerns to focus on, cashing in on a wayward flop like Antony must be at the forefront of the to-do list.

Related

Ten Hag was let down by 3/10 Man Utd star who was worse than Casemiro

He had just 17 touches of the ball at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.