No Premier League goals since October & more assists for Ajax than Man Utd: Antony's final product isn't good enough for an £85m forward

Antony is a curious player to analyse, and there appears to be a huge disconnect between how highly he is valued by both his club and country, and what he delivers on the pitch.

He was a vital player in Ten Hag's last two Eredivisie title winning sides at Ajax, although his numbers were not exactly outstanding.

He scored eight goals in the 2021-22 season, not bad for a winger, although 27 players scored as many or more than him in the league. He also provided four assists, as many as 40 players in the Dutch top-flight.

Contrast that with his Ajax team-mate Dusan Tadic, who managed 13 goals and 19 assists, or Cody Gakpo, who finished the campaign for PSV Eindhoven with 12 goals and 12 assists.

In the 2020-21 campaign, Antony netted nine goals, putting him among the top 25 scorers in the Dutch top-flight, while his eight assists put him in the top 10 for goal providers.

These are hardly numbers that justify the enormous price United paid for him, and it appears that his £85m transfer fee was driven by a combination of Ajax's unwillingness to let him go and Ten Hag's insistence on getting his man.

Ajax's sporting director Edwin van der Sar admitted to The Athletic: "We would have liked to keep him here one year longer — there was not a dire need to sell him, we had money in the bank — but the fee got so high. We challenged United to go as far as possible."

Ten Hag is not the only coach to have been seduced by Antony's talents. Since being called up to the Brazil team by Tite for the first time in 2021, Antony has played 16 times for his country.

That is four more times than Real Madrid star Rodrygo, and 10 more than Gabriel Martinelli, who both play in his position.

Admittedly, only three of his appearances came as starts, and he has made the most of his opportunities, scoring in World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Venezuela.

Tite even said he had similar characteristics to Neymar and Vinicius Junior, although both players are much more versatile than Antony, who is predominantly known for one manoeuvre.

Antony is sensational at cutting in from the right wing and shooting with his left foot. When his trick comes off, it can be devastating for opponents.

Take his goal against Real Betis, which put United back in front early in the second half of the first leg of United's Europa League last-16 tie against the Spanish side.

Or his strike against Manchester City in October, even though United were trailing in that game 4-0 at the time. He scored a number of similar goals at Ajax, turning a defender inside out before curling into the far top corner.

It is a remarkably effective move when it comes off, but it also makes him rather predictable and easy to defend against. And the longer he has spent in England, the less he has been able to pull off his favourite move.

Look at how he began his career with United, becoming the first player ever in the club's history to score in his first three league games, netting against Arsenal, City and Everton.

He hasn't scored in the Premier League since.

Since netting at Goodison Park on October 9, defences have worked him out and realised that if you can prevent Antony from turning onto his left foot, you seriously limit his threat.

In last month's goalless draw against Southampton, Antony found himself in numerous dangerous positions on the right wing, but had no confidence to take on Romain Perraud or Armel Bella-Kotchap around the outside.

And when he did manage to cut inside, the visitors made sure they had at least one player blocking his path, meaning he ended the game with no shots on goal.

He was even afraid to make short passes with his right foot.

For a top player for Brazil and United, Antony is laughably one-footed, especially in an era when players are increasingly ambidextrous.

Even forgetting his price tag, Antony is a remarkably unproductive player given his position.

He creates an average of one chance per gamem according to Fotmob, fewer than holding midfielders Casemiro and Fred, and even fewer than Donny van de Beek, who has made only 10 appearances this season, three of which have been starts, and has been injured since January.

He is at least active in attack, taking an average of 3.2 shots per 90 minutes, second only behind Alejandro Garnacho in the United squad, while he is ranked third for shots on target per 90 minutes on 1.3, behind Garnacho and Marcus Rashford. He is ranked third in expected goals and eighth in expected assists.

Most damning, though, is his shot conversion rate, a measly 4.8 percent.

His lack of efficiency in front of goal was laid bare against Everton on Saturday. He kept on getting the better of the Toffees' hapless left-back Ben Godfrey, who was hauled off at half-time, but failed to score from three chances before being substituted himself after an hour.

Ten Hag was encouraged by Antony's performance against Everton, believing it showed how he is capable of tormenting defenders.

"He is a very young player, he can kill opponents, we saw on Saturday against Everton the manager brings at half-time another left-back because he is killing the player," said the manager ahead of Thursday's meeting with Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-finals.

"Of course we expect [more] from front line players, they are not only a threat but also they have to be effective in the final third and he has to work on that, but he is a young player.

"You mention he is not scoring in the Premier League but he did against Betis, a really important goal after half-time, and against Barcelona, the winner. You can’t say they are not big games.

"If you can do it in such games, you can also do it in Premier League games, but like many more players you have to step up. We have to step up as well and win games together."

Thursday's clash with Sevilla is a huge opportunity for Antony to remind United why they paid so much for him. If his goals against Barcelona and Betis are anything to go by, the La Liga side are more likely to give him the space he needs to operate in.

The absence of Marcus Rashford, who has practically carried the team this season with 28 goals in all competitions, could also play into his hands. There will be more responsibility on Antony's shoulders, something Ten Hag hinted can help him thrive.

"That is my experience with him, he is a fighter and he likes challenges and with him teams are winning," he said. "That is why in the Selecao [Brazil team] he is selected in the starting 11."

The time has come for Antony to fight again and unlock the potential that Ten Hag and Tite have seen in him, but which United fans are still waiting to see.