MAN UTD CONFIDENTIAL: United’s asking value for £86m flop Antony

Manchester United are open to letting their £86million winger Antony go out on loan in January to help secure a permanent move for the Brazilian next summer.

United are ready to call time on Antony’s career at Old Trafford which has been a huge disappointment since he followed Erik ten Hag to England from Ajax in the summer of 2022, becoming the club’s second most expensive signing of all time.

United sources wouldn’t be drawn on Antony’s future, but Confidential understands that the club would listen to offers of around £40m for the 24-year-old.

Even though three wide players – Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Omari Forson – left Old Trafford in the summer, Antony is still fourth in the pecking order behind Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.

In total, he has played 86 games for the club, scoring 12 goals and contributing five assists from the right wing. This season he has made just four appearances and one start, playing 27 minutes in the Premier League and scoring once in the 7-0 Carabao Cup rout of Barnsley.

By sending Antony out on loan in January to get more game time elsewhere, United may be able to attract more interest in the player next summer.

But they would be lucky to recoup half of the fee paid to Ajax, representing a huge loss at a time when new co-owners Ineos are conducting a brutal cost-cutting drive that has led to 250 redundancies and the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role with the club.

Christian clouds his future

There was plenty of confusion at Manchester United when social media ignited with reports out of Denmark that Christian Eriksen had, staggeringly, confirmed his departure from Old Trafford at the end of this current season.

Eriksen has shown a willingness to speak out in the media – his strong comments after the draw to FC Twente were in the not-too-distant past – but even by his standards, figures at the club were sceptical.

The Dane sat down with Bold, a Danish publication, while on national team duty and addressed the fact that no breakthrough has been made around a potential contract extension. That answer was extrapolated into a revelation of a supposed departure, soon clarified by the author of the interview.

Confidential understands that figures at United are relaxed about the current situation and that no decision has been made either way on Eriksen’s future.

The 32-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season and while the likelihood is that he departs then, Eriksen has re-established himself in the starting line-up in recent weeks and has given executives pause for thought.

Having managed just one goal and three assists a season ago, he has already produced three of each through eight games this season and has been a player Erik ten Hag has leaned on in the biggest games, such as away to Porto in the recent 3-3 Europa League draw.

Targets turned off by slow start

United’s spluttering start to the season could have consequences in the transfer market in January and next summer.

Confidential knows of two recent targets who are having second thoughts about moving to Old Trafford after seeing Erik ten Hag’s side sink to 14th place in the Premier League table and the manager face more uncertainty over his future.

All five players who joined United as part of another £200million-plus spend in the summer have faced challenges in their early days at the club. Leny Yoro has yet to play a competitive game after fracturing a metatarsal in pre-season and Noussair Mazraoui is recovering from a heart procedure, while Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte have all struggled to find their feet.

It was notable in the last game against Aston Villa that Ten Hag only started with three players he has paid to sign for United after spending more than £600m in two-and-a-half years at the club.

You could hardly blame any potential new recruits for wanting to see signs of progress before making the move.

Glazer avoids awkward Neville moment

Co-chairman Joel Glazer’s appearance at Old Trafford last week was his first in years, which is hardly surprising given that fans routinely sing about ‘cutting him up from head to toe’.

Glazer arrived with Sir Jim Ratcliffe but the two men soon parted ways as he went off to attend a meeting of the fans’ advisory board while Ratcliffe held talks over the future of Old Trafford with taskforce members Gary Neville, United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

It demonstrated just how much Ratcliffe is the driving force behind the stadium project – be that to build his vision for a Wembley of the North or redevelop Old Trafford – although the Glazers, as majority shareholders, will inevitably be involved in making the final decision and funding.

It also avoided an awkward encounter between Glazer and Neville who has been one of the fiercest critics of the American owners in recent years, branding them ‘toxic’ and a ‘disgrace’ among other things.

United are moving closer to making a decision over the future of Old Trafford, two weeks after sending out a survey to season ticket holders and members.

The club will soon establish focus group consultation over sensitive issues like the Munich memorials, before sharing more information and giving fans an opportunity to air their views in person at two town hall meetings scheduled for November.

McCarthy questions soft stars

A meeting with Jose Mourinho is rarely dull and next week’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce sees United renew acquaintances with their old boss in Istanbul.

It has also given Benni McCarthy, a coach on Erik ten Hag’s staff for two years until this summer, a chance to discuss why Mourinho was unable to replicate his success with other clubs at Old Trafford during two-and-a-half seasons in which he won the Europa League and League Cup in 2017.

McCarthy, who played in the FC Porto side that knocked out United on the way to winning the Champions League under Mourinho in 2004, believes the fragile mindset of the modern footballer is largely to blame.

The South African also echoed claims from Wayne Rooney in May that some United players have been guilty of feigning injury to avoid playing in recent years.

‘Times have changed, generations have changed,’ McCarthy told SuperSport. ‘Back then, the coach would slap you hard. “Benni I need you, wake up”. I didn’t take it personally because maybe he was right.

‘If you shout at a player now, he has a mental breakdown. It’s more delicate. There are lot of things now that you can’t do or say. You have to think of the mental aspect and how it will affect them. Is a player okay with his life and his family?

‘That’s the reason he (Jose) never succeeded. I think he was too honest and too direct for players to accept that he only wanted the best because he knows your full potential. That’s what you have to do to be a world-beater.

‘We accepted it because we knew. “Hey, this guy is going places and let me do what he wants because I’m going with him”. At United, they were (saying) “where am I going to go with him? I’m already at United. Boss, I’m injured. I don’t want to play because I don’t want to get criticised”.’

Ouch.

Jonny’s badge of pride

Jonny Evans may have been man of the match against Aston Villa at the age of 36, but he is looking to his future and following in a strong United tradition of players taking their coaching badges at Carrington whilst at the club.

Evans, along with Harry Maguire, enrolled to get his UEFA B qualification which is now required to pursue a career in coaching and management.

Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted; from the Class of ‘92 onwards he encouraged his players to take coaching courses during the afternoons rather than spend their free time less productively.

AWAY DAY PAIN 

United fans are set for festive travel chaos after their game at Wolves was confirmed for Boxing Day and moved to the 5:30pm slot.

Supporters heading to Molineux will be unable to get to Wolverhampton by train as there are no services from Manchester before or after the match, while other public transport options are also severely limited.

United have expressed concerns to the Premier League over kick-off times after their visits to Brighton and Southampton – two of the furthest trips from Manchester in the division – were played at Saturday lunchtime.

Erik ten Hag has also publicly criticised broadcasters but the league again appear to have ignored the club having also announced United’s clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage will kick-off at 7pm on Sunday, January 26.

Onana welcomes super-fan

Some people will go to any lengths to support their team but Inter Milan – and Andre Onana – fanatic Francesco Tosato has taken it to another level.

Incredibly, Tosato cycles to all Inter’s away games in Serie A and Europe, and rode to England last month for his team’s Champions League tie against Manchester City.

The fan from Mantua, near Verona, has also kept a close eye on Onana’s progress since he moved to United from the San Siro last year, and is planning to be back in town this week to watch the Cameroon goalkeeper in action against Brentford.

Confidential learns that Tosato, who has spent the £50,000 he saved for a new car on travelling expenses around Europe, is currently stuck in Cambridge while his bike is being mended, but is prepared to pedal through the night to make it to Manchester in time.

Onana has promised to be there to greet him either at his home or the training ground. We’ll keep you posted.

Rooney and Co win shield

In a time of strife for the men’s first team, the academy is proving something of a safe haven at United right now.

This time it’s Kai Rooney and the Under-16s that deserve celebrating after they clinched the U16 National Shield following a 5-4 shootout win over Fulham.

Director of academy Nick Cox and his staff are reaping the rewards of a programme which continues to push players in higher age-groups, with new minority owners Ineos taking a very keen interest in the development of academy players.

Toone sets the standard

It has been a really difficult season for Ella Toone away from the pitch following the death of her father Nick last month.

The Manchester United midfielder was devastated when her dad died just three days before he was due to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Sources have told Confidential of just how good and accommodating the club have been with Toone at such a difficult time in her life.

But her dad will have been looking down on her beaming with pride when she made history for United over the weekend.

Toone, who started the 3-0 win away to Tottenham, became the first-ever outfield player to play in 93 consecutive WSL matches for the same club.