‘Hell of a player’ – Neville and Keane laud Antony amid criticism

PREMIER LEAGUE ‘Hell of a player’ – Neville and Keane laud Antony amid criticism

Kiplagat Sang 08:35 - 17.04.2023

The Red Devils' forward was in brilliant form as they claimed a 2-0 victory on Sunday.

Gary Neville and Roy Keane have praised Manchester United forward Antony after his exploits against Nottingham Forest.

The Brazilian – who has been criticized especially for his antics on the ball - opened the scoring before setting up Diogo Dalot for the second.

He has been inconsistent since he was signed by United from Ajax last summer in an £86 million deal. Antony scored in his first three Premier League appearances, but it took him another 15 matches to find the net once again.

"He has looked frustrating at times, but with someone like him, you just need to persist with him," Neville said, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"If he can gain consistency in his game and his decision-making in the final third can become a little bit more refined, he becomes a hell of a player."

With Neville calling for United to stick with Antony, he says Sunday’s scorer wants someone in the dressing room to offer guidance.

"In the first half, he was frustrating, but in the second half, he scored a goal, assisted, and had a couple of shots just go past the post. He is dangerous, and he always wants the ball," added the former Red Devils defender.

"It is just someone senior in the dressing room having a word with him and making sure he is releasing the ball at the right time and seeing the position of a teammate when they can do better than he can."

On his part, Roy Keane said the goal against Forest was vital for the Brazilian.

"It's vital to get those types of goals," Keane said. "We've been critical, and he's got to get in there a little bit more and have that hunger and desire.

"As skillful as he is, these are important moments. To get on the end of it and get a tap in, it's a big moment for him."

Antony has now scored nine goals in all competitions for United.