Manchester United narrowly missed out on a spectacular goal on Sunday night at Wembley.
Erik ten Hag’s men blew a 3-0 lead against Second Division Coventry to narrowly miss out on a second successive FA Cup final.
Only a minimal offside spotted by VAR at the end of extra time stopped Coventry on their way to victory and one of the greatest turnarounds in the tournament’s history.
With luck and a cool display in the penalty shootout, United still got away, but it was telling enough that when Rasmus Hoylund hit the winner and went off to celebrate, his team-mates felt ashamed to join him.
Most players of the “red devils” clearly felt the bitter taste of the victory, and Harry Maguire reacted most worthy, who directly went to congratulate the rivals for the heroic performance.
But there was one person who completely lost track of the context of events and that was the broad-minded Brazilian Antoni.
The transfer offshoot decided it was a good idea to tease the Coventry players with his hand behind his ear and indulge in cheap provocations instead of realizing the level he and his team are showing.
If that had been Antoni’s only transgression, the post-match commentary would hardly have focused so much on him. However, we constantly see competitors who react less than adequately under the influence of some emotion.
The problem is that with his behavior and his play on the field, this particular player embodies everything that is wrong with Manchester United.
Game after game, the Brazilian has shown himself to be an overrated and cocky maverick with little to contribute to the overall cause – and should be among the first to leave when the season ends and Sir Jim Ratcliffe begins his squad rebuild.
But the 24-year-old Antony has disappointed so much with the red team that it will not be easy to find a buyer for him, although Old Trafford will be ready to sell him at a huge loss.
Against Coventry, the Red Devils were in complete control before Antony came on in the 66th minute, and that tells you all you need to know about the former Ajax star’s influence on the team’s performance.
Yes, he is part of a team with a lot of problems and a totally lacking style of play, but we have already seen enough times that United are a weaker team when Antony is on the pitch.
The club received plenty of criticism and ridicule back in the summer of 2022 when they paid an embarrassing £82m to Ajax for the player – well above his actual transfer value.
Antony has narrowly silenced the naysayers by scoring in each of his first three Premier League games.
Such an achievement had not been recorded by any other United player.
However, he ended the season with just 4 league goals and increasingly infuriated supporters with his predictable style and lack of real contribution in terms of goals and assists.
It would be too harsh to give him final marks after just one season in the Premier League, but his second campaign speaks even more eloquently.
In 2023/24, the Brazilian can boast of only two goals and two assists in all competitions, and he has not yet registered in the championship.
Meanwhile, he managed to get involved in a big scandal after his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, which even took him out of the lineup for a while in September.
Since his return, Antony has been largely absent from the pitch and has started just two of United’s last 14 games as Alejandro Garnacho permanently ousted him from the starting XI.
Paradoxically, before the game with Coventry, the Carioca told the club’s channel that he had regained his confidence “through hard work” and that he “has been turning things around for a while”.
You’re unlikely to find a United-related person who shares that view.
You’re more likely to find those who will point to Antony as the worst transfer signing in the club’s history. Especially in the ratio between the amount paid and the qualities demonstrated.
The Brazilian’s greatest moment with United came in the breathtaking derby against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Antoni then did something completely unexpected as he made it 3-3 with a superb performance with his weaker right foot to send the clash into extra time.
Unimpressive with his right foot to begin with, the player received plenty of praise for his performance and later announced that he is working hard to develop his game.
“I know my potential and I know why Manchester attracted me,” he said.
Since then, though, he’s stopped using his weaker foot again and, rather unnervingly for fans, has consistently called the ball to his left, making him desperately predictable.
His first assist of the Championship against Chelsea was another flash of his – with a brilliant outside volley pass that allowed Garnacho to sign.
But this remains his only assist in the Premier League and proves that neither consistency nor any lasting development can be expected from him.
To the lack of effectiveness we add some aimless displays of technique and the unpleasant character traits that were also evident against Coventry.
Thus, a complete picture is obtained of a football player who does not do any work for the team and whom the fans can no longer tolerate. The presence of such figures in the dressing room in recent years has made Manchester United what it is today.
The roster is full of players who, for one reason or another, fall short of expectations, play in ebbs and flows, regularly fall into a hole, or their careers are in gradual decline.
Ratcliffe and the other new managers face a huge task in clearing Manchester United of the many “dead souls”. Some of the surplus were in the team even during the time of former manager Jose Mourinho, who has repeatedly hinted that he wanted to get rid of them, but did not receive support from his bosses.
Perhaps Erik ten Hag’s biggest fault is that he seems to bury his head in the sand and refuses to notice how toxic United have become under him.
He defended Antony after the Coventry game and explained that the footballer had been provoked before his reaction at the end.
He even accused the media of criticizing the team after the victory and pointed out that he managed to qualify the “Red Devils” for the FA Cup final for the second year in a row.
“I saw the mistakes we made, but it wasn’t a shameful performance, it was a huge achievement. In the last 20 years, United have been in the final five times and now we’re finalists twice in two years, it’s a huge achievement,” insisted the coach.
The chances in the trophy game against Manchester City don’t look great, but the Dutchman would have to be sacked anyway to win the cup.
And his delusion about the true level of the squad is a major reason why he has lost any sympathy he may have gained after the positive signs of his first season at Old Trafford.
It’s incredible that Ten Hag continues to defend his favorite Antony and portray him as some kind of super footballer.
“I know from before that he is unstoppable, no defender can stop him. If he plays his game, I’m sure he will do well,” assures the manager, although no one believes him anymore.
Similarly, Ten Hag maintains that there is a “process” going on at United, that the team is “progressing” and that “the future is bright”.
Most of all, the Dutchman will be remembered for such illusions when he leaves, apart from the transfer shoots led by Antoni and the total failure in the attempt to build some image of the team.
Manchester United will not qualify for the Champions League and with that the manager’s fate is most likely sealed.
However, firing coaches is far easier than purging unnecessary players and replacing them with better ones – it will take at least several transfer windows and be a painful process.
Fans will have to be patient and hope that the 3-year plan announced by Jim Ratcliffe will be implemented on time.
And the task before the billionaire and his appointed directors is first of all to prevent the arrival of a new Antony.
