Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag chapter is done and dusted. The man who came to Old Trafford to end Man City and Liverpool’s eras, has left before making a mark in the Premier League. There were positives of course – the two cup wins Ten Hag loved to point out. But the negatives outweighed them with former club captain Gary Neville pointing out two signings made by the Dutchman which in his opinion, were the worst in the club’s history.
The two players Neville singled out were Antony and Casemiro. The Brazilians arrived in the club in 2022 after Manchester United’s poor start to the season, and they were tipped to make the squad better, and more competitive. Unfortunately, that hasn’t really been the case.
“I think he [Ten Hag] oversaw two of the worst transfers Manchester United will ever have made in the signings of Casemiro and Antony,” said Neville on The Overlap podcast.
“They were signed for £140-150m in a panic after the Brentford and Brighton losses,” he added.
That said, Neville admitted that he wants to be wrong about his assessment. He hopes for both Casemiro and Antony to rise up, and build a strong legacy at Manchester United.
Casemiro and Antony are two very different players with unique profiles and pedigrees. Casemiro, a Real Madrid legend with five Champions League titles, joined Manchester United to bring experience and stability to the defense. Antony, on the other hand, arrived as a promising talent from Ajax—Ten Hag’s former club.
At United, Casemiro has played a distinctly different role than Antony. Purchased for $79 million, he was expected to bolster the defense, but United also looked to him for offensive contributions.
At Real Madrid, while he occasionally made forward runs and scored, his primary role was defensive. However, at United, being tasked with both retaining possession and creating plays has proven challenging, sometimes leading to costly errors.
Calling Casemiro’s signing a failure would be an overstatement. The 32-year-old has made 96 appearances, scored 15 goals, and provided 9 assists. Despite some difficult spells, he remains crucial to the team’s structure.
🔴🔴 Unforgettable red night at the The Theatre of Dreams !! pic.twitter.com/owr6vHlnYq
— Casemiro (@Casemiro) October 30, 2024
Antony, unfortunately, presents a different story. Brought in as a winger known for flair and attack, he has struggled to deliver. In 87 appearances, he has scored only 12 goals and provided just 5 assists—a disappointing output compared to Casemiro, whose role is far less offensive.
