Thread by @TheDevilsDNA

Might write an article if this picks up heat, but here are some initial thoughts on Antony to #MUFC:

Incredible raw talent. His first touch is great, can dribble past anyone & he has a deceptively good final ball & shot too. Looks like a class RW from his good moments. But..

https://twitter.com/UtdDistrict/status/1539013414428758018

He is inconsistent & at times his intelligence & movement without the ball is lacking. Bit of a one trick pony in the sense that he likes to receive wide after the team overloads the left side of the pitch & then take on the opponent fullback in space to cross/shoot.

It worked well at Ajax coz they kept the ball well & progressed on the left to create isolation situations for Antony.
If a team doesn't do that, does he have intelligence & flexibility to find spaces & progress? Against low blocks will he get those situations enough to succeed?

Machine-like repetition & simplification of role is not a bad thing as Conte teams have shown. Even Xavi is getting the best of Dembele with similar repeatable RW isolation patterns that suit the player's traits. If ETH can sort the rest of the positions & structure, it can work.

But if that can't happen, it will feel like expecting Antony to do magic from situations he's not used to. We've seen that effect with Sancho last year (for different reasons) & Martial & Rashford's dev has suffered for similar reasons. If the system is right, Antony can succeed.

Picking up pace now. Probably most welcome rumour so far this window. At least it sorts a much needed starter gap.

telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/…