Manchester United's Erik Ten Hag could be showing too much loyalty to Antony, and could be better off dropping him, according to football journalist Tim Vickery.
Antony has struggled for form in recent months, in particular struggling to beat defenders and exploit space on the wing.
The Brazilian footballer joined United from Ten Hag's Ajax in 2022, after the Dutch manager developed the skills of the young striker who had just moved out of Brazil.
Speaking on The Football Show, Vickery looked at the struggles that have come Antony's way since he announced himself to Manchester fans with his dancing skills.
"I feel a bit sorry for him with the fee," Vickery said. "The thing that dictated that was the amount that United paid for Lisandro Martinez, the Argentine centre back.
"They paid so much for him that they were going to have to pay more for a younger striker. Now, Ten Hag knows exactly what he's getting, and Ten Hag is very loyal to this player, perhaps over-loyal.
Vickery has followed the 23-year-old winger since he started his career in Brazil. From the early days there were signs of a good player, however he was a constant source of frustration.
"When he played here, he played for São Paulo, he used to drive me mad," Vickery said. "A left-footed right winger, he would slow down every counter attack.
"He would always do the same thing: stop, cut in, give the defence time to get organised. It drove me mad! Just before we the pandemic, we had the Olympic qualifiers. The coach loved him, kept on picking him and it just wasn't working.
"In the end, Brazil's senior coaching staff stepped in. It was a vital game, they had to beat Argentina, and they said, 'Have you thought about dropping him?'
"They ended up dropping him for the vital game against Argentina, and it worked much better without him."
Ten Hag could be over-loyal to Antony
After being dropped by the U23 Brazilian coaching staff, Antony moved to Ajax, which is a famed 'finishing school' for wingers. It was there that he was transformed under Erik Ten Hag, and earned his spot back in the Brazilian squad.
However, since joining the Dutch manager at Manchester United, Antony has failed to fire aside from the odd 'YouTube moment' and some goals in the Europa League.
"Ten Hag had really developed him," Vickery said. "He was much better at picking his options, and he would work back defensively and do much more.
"Ten Hag could look at him like: 'Look at my boy, look what I've done with him!' It may be that he's over-loyal to him."
Football on Off The Ball brought to you by Sky. All the football you love in one place across Sky Sports, BT Sport & Premier Sports.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
