“You could smell the frustration…” – Man United legend tells Erik ten Hag to drop Antony for two big reasons

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has suggested that there are two main reasons why Erik ten Hag should drop Antony.

The £82 million signing from Ajax is yet to show much development since his move to Old Trafford and is yet to contribute directly to a goal this term.

Against Fulham, the Brazilian was replaced midway through the second half after a dreadful display. His replacement, Facundo Pellistri, assisted the winning goal.

When Antony came off, it appeared like the United supporters booed his performance, which is a stark message to his form since coming to the club.

Rio Ferdinand highlighted the frustration of the fans and suggested that Fulham winger Willian would be a better option than the United wideman.

“You could smell the frustration, let alone hear it, from the travelling fans,” Rio Ferdinand told TNT Sports. “He [Antony] has played 11 games this season, zero goals and zero assists. From an attacking player that’s not good enough. That’s the hard facts.

You look today, you’ve got a 35-year-old on the opposite wing, in Willian. If you didn’t know their ages and their career paths, you’d rather have Willian on what you’re seeing right now.”

However, it is not only the clear fan reaction against the winger that should lead to his dropping. Ferdinand is hopeful that Marcus Rashford – who missed out on la game through illness – will be back for the next game against Copenhagen.

Yet, he does not believe that Alejandro Garnacho deserves to be benched for the left-winger and instead, one of them should move across to the right side, as Rashford has done on occasion this term, and states Antony can have no complaints if he is dropped.

“He has to improve dramatically. When Rashford’s fit and comes back, which will hopefully be the next game, if Garnacho doesn’t start, he’d probably sit there and scratch his head if Antony starts ahead of him. I’d be doing that,” added Rio.

“You have to have that competitive edge within the squad. But if you’re being kept out of the team by a player, you want to know that that player’s actually producing the goods and getting some goals, assists or impacting the game. At the moment, I think if Antony does come out of the team, I don’t think he could argue.”