Manchester United have been underperforming for far too long, and the year 2024 has already brought about a sea of change at Old Trafford in terms of personnel yet the results on the pitch have been even worse.
The Red Devils just lost another game this weekend, falling 3-2 to risers Nottingham Forest to solidify their status as a team toiling in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Not even new manager Ruben Amorim can stop the bleeding, but the rot exists deep within the bowels of Old Trafford. So while Ten Hag may have turned United’s situation into full-blown sepsis, the ingredients for catastrophe were already well-established.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand had an excellent reaction to the news of Dan Ashworth’s abrupt dismissal, hoping that the club are this brutal when it comes to ousting the myriad of players who are nowhere near good enough for the club.
There are so many players who no longer meet the standard of even being a squad player on Manchester United, and based on current numbers, Amorim already seems to be singling out plodding veteran Christian Eriksen as one of those players.
But Eriken is far from the worst player stealing a paycheck from Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United. The two players who Man United have to get rid of more than anyone are Mason Mount and Antony.
Under no circumstances should these two players be back next season. Antony is an unmitigated disaster and the worst signing in club history as a player who cos the team nearly 100 million euros.
Antony does not seem to take his job seriously. His most famous contribution to Manchester United is a comical move in which he spins the ball around on his foot in a stationary circle, buying the opposition time while offering him no ability to scan the defense for a pass.
It is a juvenile parlor trick that even the most unseasoned of youth players could learn to accomplish within two minutes. The move sums up the frustration and uselessness of Antony, whose decision-making, lack improvement, and abysmal end product sum up why he has yet to make a single start for Manchester United this season.
However, it’s entirely obvious that Manchester United have to get rid of Antony. You won’t find a solitary soul devoted to defending the indefensibly poor Brazilian right winger.
You may find people willing to excuse Mason Mount. He, however, has been just as woeful as Antony. Mount’s injury record should not be used to defend his lack of production with cries of, “But he just needs to get healthy,” because, sadly, he’s at a point where the injuries are so chronic that he may never even give a team a good 10 games in a campaign.
Mount’s body is failing him, and, as a signing, he never even fit Manchester United in the first place. He is a playmaker on a team with two superior playmakers in Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.
So he has to be an eight despite not having any defensive ability, declining as a progressor, and lacking in the fight in midfield that is the trademark of the best Manchester United teams of yesteryear.
Manchester United have to build a young, energetic, dynamic midfield of players who actually fit Amorim’s identity. Mount, like Antony, is a relic of bad United moves past – mostly Ten Hag’s – and the stench of failure cannot be erased without jettisoning him just as quickly as his even more overpriced forward counterpart.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.