Former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen has ripped into two Manchester United players who Rúben Amorim could use to sign Viktor Gyökeres this summer.
Manchester United are beginning to prioritise player sales this summer as Rúben Amorim looks to overhaul the squad at Old Trafford.
The club have already brought in Matheus Cunha for £62.5 million from Wolves and are negotiating with Brentford over Bryan Mbeumo, although their offer of £45 million plus £10 million in add-ons was rejected.
United are aiming to strengthen in both attack and midfield, with the possibility of signing a new goalkeeper if André Onana leaves.
In addition to several players departing when their contracts expire this month, more exits are expected as Amorim reshapes the team.
Meulensteen rips into “selfish” United duo
With United wanting to focus on sales, two players who are certain to leave are Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirming the latter is of interest to at least three Premier League clubs.
Former United coach René Meulensteen, who served as assistant coach to Sir Alex Ferguson at United between 2007 and 2013, has stated that he believes Antony, who has spent the last six months on loan at Real Betis, should not be brought back to the club but instead sold.
“I wouldn’t bring Antony back because I’ve seen enough of him, in the sense that he’s not made for the club and he’s not good enough,” Meulensteen said, via O Jogo. “His performances are fuelled by his personality and they’re not for the good of the team, he’s selfish.
“They’ll never get back the £80 million [that Antony cost United in 2022]. I thought it was a stupid deal at the time when I heard it was going to happen. In Amsterdam, when they heard about the deal, they must have done somersaults.
“It showed once again that players from lower leagues, like the Netherlands, are completely different. They play a different style and a slower pace. Teams like Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord are the best, so it’s easier for them to look good. The Premier League is very different.
“What’s Antony’s return? How many goals and assists does he have? He probably has as many, if not more, in Spain than in England. It’s a more ideal football for him.”
The 61-year-old continued, moving on to Garnacho. “Garnacho is the same as Antony,” he added. “Yes, he is a young lad, but in terms of personality, there are some things that are not right with him and that is bad for the club.
“You can see that in his performances and his lack of consistency. He is a young player who is good value, so if they offer him any kind of money, they should walk away because he will not live up to his potential at Old Trafford, and it could free up money to spend elsewhere.”
United hoping to raise £100m from Antony and Garnacho sales
Although Antony’s stocks plummeted as his performances petered out at Old Trafford, his stunning return at Real Betis has seen United want as much as £40 million for the player this summer.
As for Garnacho, he has played 144 times for United so far, contributing 26 goals and 22 assists, including 11 goals and 10 assists in 58 appearances last campaign. United are hoping to secure around £60 million for him.
United will have spent most, if not all, of their pre-sales budget once the Cunha and Mbeumo transfers are finalised, meaning the rest of their purchases – the next of which the club want to be a new striker – must come from sales.
Should United be able to offload Antony and Garnacho in a timely fashion, this will allow the club to attempt to strike a deal with Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres.
TalkSPORT claims the Swede, valued at around £60 million, is open to a move to Old Trafford despite their lack of Champions League football next season.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.