Darren Bent calls Manchester United forward Antony a ‘YouTube footballer’
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland striker Darren Bent has called Manchester United star Antony a ‘YouTube footballer’.
The Brazil international has been underwhelming in recent weeks after his big-money signing from Ajax in the summer of 2022. After a quick start to life at the Old Trafford side, the 22-year-old has seemingly found it hard to find his feet.
Speaking on talkSPORT via Twitter (h/t Daily Mail), Bent, who spent several years in the Premier League during his footballing career, has been disappointed in Antony’s output in the final third.
“He’s doing all this stuff but he’s not going past anyone. It’s not like he’s doing a trick to manipulate the ball to go past someone, he’s just doing it for the sake of it.”
When the ex-striker was asked whether the 22-year-old could be described as a ‘YouTube footballer’, he stated:
“A little bit yeah. You clip all the best bits of a footballer and you look at it on YouTube and go ‘wow, I can’t believe we’re signing him!”
The Brazilian evidently has the South American flair in him. However, unless those skills are backed up by something substantial in the end, it does not matter at the end of the game.
Antony was signed from Sao Paulo by Erik ten Hag at Ajax. The Dutch manager oversaw his development in Amsterdam before reuniting with the winger in Manchester.
The 22-year-old made his debut and scored for United in the 3-1 victory over Arsenal. Subsequently, the forward scored in each of his first three Premier League fixtures and was a constant in the starting lineup.
In our previous fixture, the Brazilian started once again against the Gunners. However, this time around, he was unable to influence the game much as Mikel Arteta’s team ran out as the winners at home after a stoppage-time goal in the 3-2 victory.
While Antony has failed to make a mark for some time now, other players have stepped up and remained consistent. Marcus Rashford has shouldered the burden of our attack this season and Alejandro Garnacho has played some substantive cameos.
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Therefore, the Brazilian needs to get back to the basics for the time being and be more productive. Hopefully, Ten Hag will be able to get the best out of the 22-year-old in the coming months.
