Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and football pundit Jermaine Jenas expressed his frustration with Manchester United winger Antony over his performance against Fulham on Saturday.
While Man United came away with a 1-0 victory, the team’s performance was largely underwhelming, with the team unable to assert any real dominance over the home side.
Jenas, however, felt that the Brazilian winger was to be held accountable for his performance in particular.
As reported by Express, Jenas slammed Antony for a seeming lack of effort, particularly when it came to his failure to defend against a threatening Fulham attack.
“Everyone on the planet knows what Willian wants to do there, he wants to drop his shoulder, cut in on his right foot and get a shot off,” the pundit exclaimed, continuing, “To just hang your leg out, put your team under pressure like that towards the end of the first half, it’s not forgivable.”
The former Spurs defender didn’t just restrict his criticism to Antony’s lack of defensive desire, however.
Jenas accused the 23-year-old winger of “killing” United’s attacks and having no impact on the game.
“How he has stayed on the pitch as long as he has I don’t know. Poor,” the retired footballer exclaimed.
Despite receiving a barrage of criticism, Antony has received backing from United manager Erik ten Hag.
Following the team’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United in their Carabao Cup clash during the midweek, Ten Hag reaffirmed his belief in the player, claiming that he is the right player for the club.
While Antony only recently returned to the field following his brief absence amid his legal troubles, pressure is already mounting on the Brazilian to perform.
Considering that Jadon Sancho may no longer form part of Ten Hag’s plans, the likes of Antony and Rashford will need to step up their game in order to pull United’s attack out of the muck.
If not, United may just look to the transfer market in January in order to find a suitable replacement.