Manchester United have been warned to sell off £82m ($96m) Antony as soon as possible to avoid repeat of Anthony Martial's situation by Dwight Yorke.
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Antony struggling for form with Man UtdIs yet to score or assist in any competition this termYorke wants him off United's booksWHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian winger has been already labelled by critics as the biggest waste of money in Premier League history after he failed to make a single goal contribution this term despite playing over 1200 minutes in 22 appearances across competitions. There have been repeated calls for United to show Antony the door from several sections of the crowd and now club legend Yorke has joined the bandwagon. He believes that Antony is another Martial in the making, who will be deadwood and remain in the squad until they run down their contract.
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Speaking to Yorke said: "I think back to players who succeeded at Man United, and all of them were eager to write their names into the history of the club and they wanted to be a part of the setup. I'm not sure if Man United players understand that these days. I don't think it's a surprise that Kevin De Bruyne came back and delivered an assist within twenty minutes. I'm also not surprised that we're still talking about Antony and what he brings because he cost £85million.
"There are always going to be question marks when you sign a player for that much, especially when they're playing for a club like Man United. Players like Antony will understand they're not performing as they should. It's tough for him and I feel for him, but it's both his and the club's responsibility if things don't work out. The club has to move these players on as quickly as possible or else they'll find themselves in the same position every year – having average players signed to long contracts and not contributing what we expect of them."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
With Marcus Rashford becoming a shadow of his former self and Rasmus Hojlund still adapting to the rigours of the Premier League, there have been calls for fresh attacking reinforcements. A few names have already been floated which include former Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema, Crystal Palace's Michael Olise and Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min. Among the high-profile names, Yorke chose to put his weight behind Son as he believes that the South Korean would be the ideal difference-maker at Old Trafford.
"I wouldn't describe Rasmus Hojlund as useless as I feel for the kid and I know he arrived under very difficult circumstances. He probably has the potential, but he has nobody around him to teach him. There isn't too much experience in this side," he said.
"I'm not going to point any fingers at Rasmus, and I'd never describe any professional player as useless, let alone a United one.
"Karim Benzema would offer a boatload of experience, but the club has already tried that strategy with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. This approach works OK as these players still have the occasional moment of magic in them, but that's not where United need to be. They need to buy players like Son – players who can make a difference to your team.
"Sometimes signing older players works and sometimes it doesn't. Sir Alex knew what he was doing by bringing in Van Persie as he had so much experience in football. Van Persie wasn't a surprise to anyone as we all knew what he was capable of."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Antony had an electric start to life at United becoming the first player to score in his first three Premier League games for the club, but soon ran out of fuel against more decorated opponents and finished his first season with just eight goals to his name. He will hope to bounce back in the second phase of the campaign starting with an FA Cup fourth-round fixture against Newport County on January 28.