Gary Neville has defended Erik ten Hag over Manchester United’s excessive spending on Antony as he holds the Glazers accountable for overpaying for the Brazilian flop.
The 23-year-old once again found himself at the centre of the media hype for all the wrong reasons after losing his head in the closing stages of the Manchester derby.
The dust has yet to settle after the accusations of domestic violence cast significant doubt on his long-term future at Old Trafford, as Antony made another gesture that was beneath Man Utd’s status.
Manchester City had the Red Devils on the ropes, boasting a commanding 3-0 lead going into second-half stoppages when the Brazilian lost his temper and tried to deliberately kick Jeremy Doku twice.
Enraged by the underperforming winger’s behaviour, the Man City forward confronted him, but Antony slapped his hand out of his face twice as he lost control.
It’s still uncertain how his antics went unpunished, with referee Paul Tierney giving him a slap on the wrist with a yellow card when it was clear he should’ve been sent off.
Antony’s unsportsmanlike conduct could have been his reaction to frustration over his underwhelming career at Old Trafford, even though he arrived with high expectations.
But while many people attributed his big-money acquisition to Ten Hag, Neville believes the Glazers are the only ones responsible for splashing out stratospheric figures without doing their due diligence first.
“Context on Antony – we’d just lost to Brighton and Brentford and the club was in reactive panic mode as per usual and sanctioned and said ‘yes’ to Casemiro and Antony,” he wrote on social media platform X.
“It’s all on the Glazers for complete panic and lack of leadership! They’ve done this for 10 years. CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) to City and panic. Alexis (Sanchez) to City and panic.
“Ajax couldn’t believe we’d offered that money. Owners and directors sanction deals. Now I agree Antony needs to do better, but it was never a deal to do in those circumstances.”
