Louis Saha names next Manchester United step for “magic” Antony

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has explains what Antony needs to work on next to continue to improve his game.

Antony put in a great performance against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday evening, with many Manchester United fans praising his game as one of his best yet.

However, there also remains a criticism of his style of play – many mention that he can be quite one-dimensional at times, always wanting to force the ball onto his left foot.

Read More: Rating Manchester United’s summer signings so far this season

Speaking to BedFred about Antony’s play style and predictability, former United striker Louis Saha, who scored 42 goals across 120 matches for the Reds, says Antony needs to add some diversity to his game.

“There’s a need for diversity in his game because he’s starting to become very predictable, despite the fact that he’s very skillful,” Saha said.

Explaining why he thinks this is an issue, Saha explained that “the skills that he has doesn’t provide a link with the players around him, so he needs to address that.

“He needs goals and he needs to provide a level of unpredictability, which isn’t easy to do.

“Defenders are becoming aware of his game and he’s exclusively a left-footer, so he needs to diversify his game,” he continued.

“I can understand the criticism because he’s cost a lot of money and he’s come with a lot of expectation, but we need to remember it’s his first six months at the club and in the Premier League.

“We need to let the kid adapt physically to the league and I’m confident that he can become a player that’s very decisive. It’s about creating more options around him so he can produce moments of magic.”

It is not only Saha who has brought this problem to light. After criticism of Antony’s abilities by Rio Ferdinand after the loss against Arsenal, Erik ten Hag himself recognised the one-footed nature and lack of directness , but explained that he has full faith that Antony will develop his game.

When he’s playing (full games), the team is winning,” Ten Hag explained. “That already gives a message of how well he is performing.

“He can do better, I see space for improvement. For instance, and I think also you know this, we want him to be more direct and be more involved. But as I said, the team is performing better if he is on the pitch. That’s a good thing, that’s a good base to build further.”