23 December 2023 , 01:00
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Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer declined to sign Antony when the club valued him at a fraction of what they would end up paying for the winger, it has been claimed.
Antony joined United from Ajax in the summer of 2022, following manager Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford. The Brazil international set the club back more than £80million - the second most expensive signing in their history after Paul Pogba - but has blown hot and cold.
The club have been criticised for the sum paid, with suggestions they could have landed the 23-year-old for around £60m earlier that summer. However, during Solskjaer's time in charge, even that dwarfed the club's valuation.
According to The Athletic, United's scouts had looked at Antony before Solskjaer's dismissal in November 2021. Based on their findings, the club are said to have valued the winger at around £25m, though they did not opt to move for him while the Norwegian was in charge.
While current manager Ten Hag worked with Antony in the Netherlands, he is not understood to have been the only one to favour a move for the player. The same report indicates that there was "universal agreement" over Antony as a target.
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So far, though, the results on the pitch have been underwhelming. In his final Ajax season, Antony scored 12 goals in all competitions, but managed just eight in his first campaign at Old Trafford. In more than 1,000 minutes this season, he has yet to register a goal or an assist.
What would have been a good price for Antony? Have your say in the comments section
Antony and Erik ten Hag worked together at Ajax before reuniting at Manchester United (Getty Images)In November 2022, Ajax's then-CEO Edwin van der Sar opened up about the negotiations with United over Antony and another ex-Ajax man, Lisandro Martinez. The combined fee for the pair sat at around £140m, with the Dutchman recognising a high price was paid.
“They’re good players,” former United goalkeeper Van der Sar told The Athletic midway through last season. “Erik knew them, they fit with his playing style. He wanted the players, we didn’t want to lose them so… you put a high price on them. When you want a player, you probably pay a little bit more. For me, it was a fair negotiation with Richard and John Murtough, and that was it.
“Arsenal came earlier for Lisandro, but it was an amount where we said, ‘Thank you very much for the offer, but we’d rather keep the player than start negotiating’. With United, it was a little bit different."