Antony is universally seen as an £86m flop at Manchester United, failing to live up to even half his billing.
Erik ten Hag may have been completely insistent on signing Antony, but the flak cannot be placed at the feet of the Dutchman. It was the scouts who snubbed Barcelona’s Raphina for Antony – a move which Manchester United will be ruing.
Antony shone in the opening weeks of his career at Old Trafford, but since then he has had two years floating between mediocrity and shambles.
- 94 games
- 12 goals
- 5 assists
This has brought him to the point of potentially being shipped out of the club on loan with a severe lack of suitors, which means he will not be playing elite football should he leave.
Now, one interested club will offer Antony a real reality check as to what level he can expect to step down to. This is all despite Ruben Amorim backing Antony to improve under his coaching.
Antony receiving interest from Olympiacos
Sending Antony on loan is far from ideal for United, with a huge risk he returns in July with his reputation even further damaged.
However, with little prospect of a permanent move, United could have no choice.
According to Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos, who is the editor-in-chief of SporTime, Olympiacos have now been in contact with United over a possible loan.
However, in the same tweet, it is claimed that Antony is currently not the Brazilian’s prospect – which is hardly a shock considering the magnitude of the step down the footballing ladder this could be.
Adding to this, Tuesday saw Florian Plettenberg weigh in on the situation – as he confirmed that the Greek side have approached United for Antony.
The deal is described by Plettenberg as ‘very, very complicated’ but it is not fully off right now. Ineos have made Antony available and seems to be looking for a solution.
Antony will regret rejecting summer Manchester United exit
Antony will be saddened by the lack of interest, but he can’t be surprised after two years of struggles.
In the summer though, Antony was wanted by clubs much higher up the ladder than Olympiacos.
Antony was offered the chance to move to the Turkish Super Lig in the summer but snubbed it in favour of remaining at Old Trafford.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
This move to either a Galatasaray or Fenerbahce would have benefitted Antony – but instead, he naively thought year three would differ from his first two.
If Antony is to move to Greece, he will no doubt regret not moving sooner and to a higher-ranking league.
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