Man Utd paid more than £60m above their valuation to sign Erik ten Hag 'flop'

Manchester United paid more than £60million above their valuation to bring in one particular attacker, according to a fresh report.

Erik ten Hag’s men have endured a torrid start to the season. United are languishing in seventh in the Premier League, some six points adrift of the top four, while they finished bottom of their Champions League group.

Such form can in part be credited to a blunt attack, with Marcus Rashford and Antony in particular having struggled to make a meaningful contribution going forward.

Antony, who cost United £86million in 2022, has scored zero goals and registered zero assists in his 18 appearances across three competitions this year.

And it has now emerged the extent to which United paid over the odds to sign the Brazilian, who has contributed to just 11 goals across his time at Old Trafford.

The Athletic claimed that in the summer of 2022, Ten Hag felt he needed an additional attacker and universal agreement was reached among the United hierarchy to target Antony.

The publication alleged that under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United’s scouts had made reports that saw the club value Antony at around £25million.

Months later, midway through Ten Hag’s pursuit of the winger, United reportedly cut off talks with Ajax and privately communicated they would not pay more than £60million.

By the final days of the window, with desperation around Old Trafford having heightened, United agreed a fee of £86million

Ajax’s then-CEO Edwin van der Sar would later tell The Athletic he had “challenged” United chief executive Richard Arnold and sporting director John Murtough to “go as far as possible” given the Dutch giants had already sold several first-time regulars that summer.

According to the publication, while Ten Hag wanted to sign Antony, sanctioning the outlay came from above.

Several directors are said to be involved in “checks and balances” during a transfer window, including chief financial officer Cliff Baty and general counsel Patrick Stewart, who is currently interim CEO. This reportedly leads to slower progress in negotiations.

Owner Joel Glazer, who is based in the US, reportedly adds a final layer of sign-off.