Gary Neville claims Ajax ‘couldn’t believe’ how much Manchester United paid for Antony

Manchester United have been heavily criticised for their transfer activity in recent years, and Gary Neville has now weighed in on the club’s decision to pay £85million for winger Antony. The Brazilian has failed to live up to expectations since his move from Ajax last summer, and Neville believes the Dutch club were shocked by the fee United were willing to pay.

Antony’s Struggles at Manchester United

Having shone under Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam, Antony was one of the Dutchman’s priority signings in his first transfer window in charge, with the club eventually forking out £85million to sign him just before the deadline after weeks of talks with Ajax.

But Antony netted just seven goals in 39 games in all competitions last season, as well as registering only two assists, while he has failed to score or create a single goal in 10 outings this season.

Neville believes it is now obvious that United overpaid to sign the 23-year-old, with his transfer underlining the club’s recruitment issues, and says neither Antony, Mason Mount or any other recent signings have brought the side closer to becoming title winners.

Neville’s Criticism of Manchester United’s Transfer Activity

Speaking to Webby & O’Neill, Neville said: ‘I find it really difficult at this moment in time to judge any player in that dressing room, because I’ve seen them play at higher levels at other clubs. So forget the fees… would I have paid £90m [sic] for Antony? No. No club would. But that’s Manchester United, it’s what we do in this last 10 years, we overpay.

‘What they [United’s hierarchy] have done, and it’s with this manager again, the manager has had a bit of success and they’ve allowed the manager to dictate the transfer policy. Any club – any club – that operates well has a clear system of play, a clear recruitment strategy and players have to fit into those profiles of positions that they go and chase. Manchester United allow the manager that comes in to too heavily influence the transfers and recruitment of players into the club. That’s a fact.

‘If you remember, the manager wanted Frenkie de Jong, which was to be fair a very different player than Casemiro. Antony, to be fair, Ajax couldn’t believe that they offered that much money for him. Ajax had already done their business for the summer by letting Lisandro Martinez go for £50m. They’d already got their money. They just said yes because they couldn’t believe [how much was being offered]. They liked Antony, he was a talented player, but they couldn’t believe it was like £80m or £90m – you know, €100m! They couldn’t believe it. You spend €100m and you’re expecting the finished article, aren’t you?

United’s Need for Title-Winning Players

‘I thought with Antony coming in, with Mount coming in, I thought we would become a real technical, passing team. But we’re not. We’re still a counter-attack team. So I’ve got worries about both, of course I have! We all have! Because we’ve paid £150m for two players that you think, “Can they go on and become players that will win Manchester United the league?” Every player we buy should be a stepping stone towards winning the league, that’s it.

When you’re signing a player at United, it should be: does this player get us to compete with Manchester City, with Arsenal, with the other clubs? Now the players that we’ve signed I don’t think do.

Conclusion

Gary Neville’s comments highlight how Manchester United’s transfer activity has been misguided in recent years. The club have failed to bring in players who can help them challenge for the title and have instead overpaid for players who are not good enough for that level. It is clear that United need to reassess their recruitment strategy if they are to become title contenders again.