Manchester United's legend Rio Ferdinand has called for fans' patience with €100 million summer signing Antony dos Santos after a mixed start to life at Old Trafford.
Antony, 23, has scored seven times across all competitions this season for Manchester United; Bruno Fernandes (8) and Marcus Rashford (26) have scored more.
However, Antony has always been criticized by a section of Giants fans and some pundits regarding his inconsistency on the pitch for Erik Ten Hag's side. Although he scored on his Premier League debut and has come up with some important goals this season in the Premier League and other competitions as well, Antony has however been unable to convince that he's worth €100 million.
In an interview with FIVE, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Antony could become a Man United legend while explaining that his former teammates, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, all started off the same way in their Manchester United careers.
“If he [Antony] had a crystal ball before the season started and looked at his season right now, he would probably say I’m not where I want to be," he told FIVE.
Rio Ferdinand went further to plead with fans to exercise patience with the winger, who he claimed could be another Manchester United legend in the making while drawing comparisons with Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, who didn't have a great start to their Manchester United careers.
"Yeah, he’s scored a couple of important goals here and there, but if he were honest with himself, he’d say there’s more to come from me, and we have to be patient with the fanbase with that," Ferdinand explained.
“Not everybody hits the ground running." "Look at Patrice Evra. His first six months at Manchester United could have been shipped out and sold, and no one would have remembered him."
“Same with Vidic—all of a sudden they became legends, given time. I hope that Antony is going to fall into that category.
While some columnists have agreed with Rio Ferdinand's comments, the former England international turned pundit has advised Antony along with Jadon Sancho to emulate teammate Bruno Fernandes when they face opponents.
"One part of their game they need to improve on is the risk." Sir Alex Ferguson always used to say to us, "Don't want safe? Take risks." That’s what I love about Bruno [Fernandes].”
Antony Santos has shown flashes of his brilliance since his move to Old Trafford from Eredivisie giants FC Ajax last summer. He has scored important goals against FC Barcelona and Real Betis in the Europa League, whilst also scoring against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Everton in the Emirates FA Cup.
He is however a target by the media due to his hefty price tag. While match-day commentators have stated a lot of negatives about the 23-year-old, he has appeared to be an easy target for pundits, with one of them referring to him as a YouTube player.
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