Manchester United have repeated Antony mistake after intermediates reveal “embarrassment” over another signing

Manchester United have embarrassed themselves in the transfer market too many times to count in recent years.

Ruben Amorim has had a difficult time at Manchester United since arriving as head coach and fans are desperate to see arrivals in the January transfer window to help the situation.

Patrick Dorgu could come in as a new left-wingback while the Reds have secured the signing of Arsenal youth prospect Ayden Heaven.

But the club are not going gun-ho with their approach. That is majorly down to the lack of funds available for Amorim.

But it is also because the Reds simply cannot continue to make ill-formed judgements in the transfer window and buy players for more than they are worth.

“We have to be cautious. The rules here and you know that we have to follow the rules, we have made mistakes in the past and we cannot do it now,” Amorim recently explained.

One of those mistakes is starting up front for the club most weeks, with Rasmus Højlund experiencing a difficult time at United since arriving from Atalanta in the summer of 2023.

The Reds paid a staggering £72 million for the unproven centre-forward and that decision has backfired unless things drastically change for the player.

Intermediates admit Højlund fee “embarrassment”

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Reds had vowed to not spend over £60 million on the Danish striker when they were eyeing him two years ago.

It was also explained that sources from Agencies valued him between £20-30 million at the time and West Ham were touted as a potential option for him before United came calling.

However, the most staggering part of the report is the claim that intermediates who negotiated Højlund’s £72 million move to Old Trafford have since “privately admitted their embarrassment” at the fee.

The United striker managed to score 16 goals in his debut campaign but has since experienced major difficulties in his second season with the club, with just two Premier League goals this term.

If he was signed for £30 million, the wide-scale view would be one of promise. Not many strikers are at their best at the age of 21.

Yet, due to the extortionate price tag, pressure has slowly been building with Højlund and he is no where near the expectations of a £70 million striker.

United repeated Antony mistake and now Amorim is dealing with the consequences

You can forgive clubs for making such mistakes when it is a one-time issue but this situation came just one year after United signed Antony for £85 million from Ajax.

Reports came out in the last year to explain that United did not value the Brazilian at over £30 million but they somehow ended up agreeing a deal for over double that price.

Antony is now spending the second half of 2024/25 on loan at Real Betis, with his career at United looking all but over.

Højlund might not have the same fate. He has shown that he has the potential to be a good striker for United beforehand.

But the “embarrassment” shown over Højlund’s price tag simply should not have been a mistake the club made after the addition of Antony and it is now Amorim who needs to deal with the consequences of such deals.

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