The 2023/24 season was certainly a difficult time for Manchester United. Although Erik ten Hag won silver in his first season with the Carabao Cup, he struggled to repeat that success.
United currently sit sixth in the Premier League with 53 points, but are still 13 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. The Red Devils have lost 12 Premier League games and have a goal difference of just +1.
With some difficult games still to come, United face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League. They still have to play against Arsenal and Newcastle United at Old Trafford and also make a trip to the Amex to face Brighton and Hove Albion.
Throughout the season, many of United’s biggest stars struggled to shoot and suffered from injury problems on the pitch. Key player Luke Shaw has missed 29 games in all competitions due to two injuries, and Lisandro Martinez has missed 36 games after three different injuries.
Perhaps most frustrating for United, however, were the performances of some of their big stars. One man in particular was struggling with his form again this season and his place in the starting XI was in doubt.
Antony’s season in numbers
The player in question here is Brazilian winger Antony, who is playing his second season at Old Trafford. The 24-year-old joined the club from Ajax last summer, a deal that has been a success for him Record sales from an Eredivisie club for £82m.
Antony has had an extremely disappointing campaign so far. In 35 games for the Red Devils across all competitions, he has only managed two goals and two assists. Two of these goal involvements occurred in the FA Cup away to Newport County, one against Liverpool in the same competition and the other against Chelsea.
The underlying numbers show how bad Antony has been this season. According to Fbref, the Brazilian averages 1.56 key passes per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 51%, and just 0.16 goal-scoring actions, putting him in the bottom 8% of Premier League wingers this season, which shows his ineffective creative influence.
His last appearance against Sheffield United was as bad as any game this season. Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News gave Antony a 4/10 for his performance against the Blades, stating he produced “little end product”, a theme of his disappointing time at United.
As fans lose patience with Antony’s performances, there is one player they are desperate to see replace the Brazilian at the end of the season; the young Ivorian winger Amad.
The player who could replace Antony
Winger Amad, 21, made himself a United hero last month by scoring the winner in extra time in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool. It’s been a frustrating season for the youngster, who is yet to start a game, but Saturday afternoon’s game against Burnley gives him a potential opportunity to do so.
The former Atalanta player has only played seven games in all competitions this season, totaling just 207 minutes of playing time. That’s just over two full ninety minutes, 2.3 to be exact. However, the youngster suffered a serious knee injury early in the season which resulted in him missing 22 games.
Amad spent last season on loan at Sunderland, where he was one of the best players in the Championship. His former manager Tony Mowbray described him as “Wizard”after a variety of performances throughout the season.
Amad scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 37 games for the Black Cats as they reached the playoffs. Unfortunately they were eliminated by eventual winners Luton Town, although Amad was able to get on the scoresheet in the first leg.
According to Fbref, Amad showed his outstanding progressive nature in the Championship last season, completing 5.12 progressive passes per 90 minutes and 3.9 final third passes per 90 minutes. This puts him in the top 6% or top 4%.
That’s something United are certainly missing from their side, with Antony averaging 4.6 progressive passes per 90 minutes and 1.87 final third passes per 90 minutes this season, putting him in the 75th and 10th respectively. 63rd percentile.
There is little doubt about Amad’s quality and he has shown what he can do this season. He is a wonderful dribbler, able to glide past defenders thanks to his low center of gravity, and he takes care of the ball very well, rarely losing possession.
It seems entirely justified to give the 21-year-old a chance at the end of the season and show trust in him. Maybe it will help him to get started before the 2024/25 season and try to establish himself in the team beyond the end of the current season.
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