Alan Shearer blasts Manchester United star for “same old” performance
Sky SportsAntony has lost his place in the Manchester United team in recent months and he showed little to suggest he deserves it back against Nottingham Forest.
An injury to Rasmus Hojlund prompted Erik ten Hag to play Marcus Rashford through the middle in the FA Cup fifth-round, and that opened up a space on the right flank for Antony to come in.
The Brazilian had been overlooked in the Premier League defeat by Fulham on Saturday, with Omari Forson and Amad favoured over him.
An opportunity missed
And, handed a chance from the start at the City Ground, he did not deliver the kind of performance he would have been hoping to.
Antony hit the crossbar early on but did not offer much of an attacking threat beyond that and was replaced by Amad in the 73rd minute.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer gave an honest assessment of Antony’s performance as he was coming off the pitch.
“He might be disappointed he’s coming off but he hasn’t done anywhere near enough to warrant staying on the pitch tonight,” Shearer said.
“Same old, same old. Get the ball, come inside and pass it to someone else or have a shot. It’s not enough when you cost that much money.”
Prior to the match, Manchester United boss Ten Hag backed Antony to come good despite his struggles since joining the Old Trafford club from Ajax in 2022.
“I backed him for a long time,” Ten Hag said. “I know his abilities and he has great abilities.
“When he plays like I know from the past he is unstoppable, no defender can stop him because he’s one of the quickest players in the first 10 yards.
“When he plays that game he will perform. I’m sure he will do for the future, I’m sure he is resilient, he is a character and he will fight back and I back him. He now has to wait for his chance and once he is there he has to pick up.”
