Manchester United’s mistakes in the transfer market since Sir Alex Ferguson retired are plenty but some stand out and don’t need reminding!
Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat but nobody at Man Utd will forget about paying £85 million for Antony or chasing Frenkie de Jong fruitlessly for a whole window.
Alvaro Fernandez leaving Man Utd to become a superstar is along the same vein so Man Utd don’t need someone else to remind them of their mistake.
That’s exactly what’s been done now, with the added shame of Antony being called “very special” after facing the struggles of his life at Old Trafford.
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Manuel Pellegrini raves about Antony, reminds Ineos of mistake
Perhaps the biggest success story this season from Man Utd is a player who’s not at the club anymore, with Antony flying at Real Betis.
A much-ridiculed player in England, Antony has taken Betis by storm since game one and hasn’t let the standards slip since.
His teammates are big fans, and manager Manuel Pellegrini has been all praise for Antony as well, with chances of a Betis transfer increasing.
Pellegrini has given Antony his biggest compliment yet, saying the Brazilian is a “very special” player who arrived in Spain with a single motive.
More United News
While all that is well and good, the part Man Utd should truly pay attention to is when Pellegrini recalls United paying £85 million for him.
If Pellegrini thinks it’s not a surprise United paid that much for him, maybe he should start convincing the Betis board to open their chequebook as well!
Man Utd shouldn’t be fooled
While those are very positive words by Pellegrini, Ineos wouldn’t want a reminder that the regime before them splurged £85 million on a player who never fit in with the Premier League.
Antony pulling up trees in Spain isn’t eminently transferable to England, something which Ruben Amorim alluded to recently, much to the chagrin of the player’s agent.
This is the best case for United because they can now negotiate from a position of strength instead of weakness after Antony’s form in Spain.
What they shouldn’t do at any cost is be fooled by his exploits in Spain and throw the dice on another season of him at United.
This mistake has happened before, for example in Jesse Lingard’s case who United didn’t cash in on after his successful West Ham loan and he eventually left on a whimper.
It’s time to cash in on Antony from a position of strength in the summer.