A year after spending nearly 100 million USD in transfer fees, Man Utd wanted to push Antony away, possibly in exchange for Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa.
The Mirror newspaper reported yesterday that Man Utd is considering a plan to loan Antony to Flamengo, as part of the Gabriel Barbosa transfer. The “Red Devils” cannot sell the former Ajax star outright, due to salary and contract issues until 2027.
After joining Man Utd in 2022, Antony has not proven himself. After 54 matches in all competitions, the Brazilian winger scored only eight goals. This season, the 23-year-old has not even scored a goal and is having problems with his playing style. Most fans think that he is only used to “playing with the ball”, does not know how to make changes and often gets into fights when colliding with opposing players. Off the field, Antony also had personal problems. In September, he had to take a few matches off to deal with allegations made by three women.
In addition to Antony, Man Utd also has attack problems with Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund. After scoring 30 goals in 56 matches last season, Rashford suddenly lost form, scoring only one goal in 14 matches this season. Meanwhile, the Danish rookie has not scored any goals in the Premier League.
Barbosa emerged when he scored 56 goals in 154 matches between 2013 and 2016 for Santos. However, in the period 2016-2018 when he went to Europe to play for Inter and Benfica, the 27-year-old striker only had two goals. After returning to Brazil, Barbosa regained his confidence, scoring 27 more goals in 53 matches for Santos and 153 goals in 265 matches for Flamengo. In 2019 and 2022, he helped Flamengo win the Copa Libertadores, South America’s biggest club title.
In addition to Barbosa, Man Utd is also keeping an eye on Ivan Toney, the Brentford striker who is banned from playing due to illegal betting. Toney will return from January 2024. Man Utd also considered buying Victor Osimhen, Napoli’s top scorer in Serie A last season.
Man Utd is currently ranked eighth in the Premier League, with 18 points after 11 rounds. The “Red Devils” are six points behind the Top 4 and nine points behind leading team Man City. After losing 0-3 to Newcastle at home on November 1, Man Utd became a former League Cup champion. They are also at risk of being eliminated from the Champions League group stage, as they are ranked third in Group A after three matches.