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Topics: Antony, Manchester United, Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Football, Premier League
Marcus Chan
Topics: Antony, Manchester United, Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Football, Premier League
Manchester United’s big summer signing Antony has been compared to Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe after an underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford.
In the summer transfer window, Antony left Ajax to reunite with Erik ten Hag at United in a deal worth £85 million.
The tricky Brazil winger had the perfect start to life in Manchester after scoring on his full debut against Arsenal in front of a packed Old Trafford crowd.
However, he has failed to build on that momentum and has since struggled to set the stage alight.
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After another below-par performance during the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, Antony was the subject of criticism.
Former Aston Villa and England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor compared Antony to Pepe, who struggled to perform at the Emirates stadium.
He said on talkSPORT: “I think Antony, for me.
“Watching him last night he wasn’t happy when he got dragged off, but he doesn’t do enough for me.
“He’s giving me Pepe, who used to be at Arsenal, vibes. He has tricks but doesn’t really beat a player and for me, they need Garnacho to start against Arsenal.
“They need Jadon Sancho to get back amongst it. They need more options on the wing because Antony is not at it at the moment.
“Maybe he will with time, but at the moment, he’s not doing enough.”
Antony will have another chance to try and impress as United take on league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Ahead of the crucial clash, Ten Hag said: “You always want more. But I think we have to be happy with where we are now. But we also know we want to be better.
“Because third is not good enough. We have to be better, we are in a good position, but we have to battle for more.”
A victory against the Gunners will take United to within five points of Mikel Arteta’s side.