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Antony has to prove he has an end product - The Football Show

Antony must produce a consistent end product to justify his price tag, says Andy Mitten.



Football journalist Andy Mitten joined The Football Show to discuss Antony and Manchester United.

Manchester United are in great form.

Four wins in a row coincide with Erik ten Hag's acceptance into the club as the team's new manager. Lisandro Martinez is proving his doubters wrong, which is vital for ten Hag also. But the real intrigue still surrounds winger Antony.

Ten Hag threw Antony straight into the starting lineup against Arsenal and he rewarded his manager with a goal.

It was a dream debut for the young Brazilian, so what does Andy Mitten make of the team's new signing.

"It's a lot of money," Mitten said.

"But Ajax didn't need to sell anyone. They didn't need the money, what were they going to do with the money? If they sensed Manchester United were getting desperate then they were right, and that was compounded by their opening two results."

Manchester United overpaying for players is not a new phenomenon. But it won't matter what the price tag was if he ultimately proves to be a good player. Although he scored for United on his debut, that was actually a relatively rare occurrence for him during his time in Holland.

Despite playing for Ajax and dominating the league, Antony didn't have many goals or assists.

It's a concern for Mitten and one that he knows other clubs were concerned about too.

"I know one huge club that looked at Antony and decided that against him because they thought another player would fit their style of play more. But I spoke to a sporting director at that club and he said you'll get more youtube moments out of Antony. They really rated him highly.

"We saw that in the first half at Old Trafford, he didn't need to be flicking his legs left, right, left, right, but it's football. It's entertainment. It's sport. I was in the main stand and people were clapping and laughing. And the Arsenal fans were furious.

"Great, you can have a bit of that.

"He took his goal well, he has confidence...but yeah, it's a huge amount of money. And his statistics were not that great for Ajax, considering they won the league."

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Andy Mitten Antony Arsenal Erik Ten Hag Liverpool Manchester United Premier League