Antony came off the bench to score Manchester United’s winner against Barcelona, with Rio Ferdinand’s praise hinting at a change since Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit last November.
Rio Ferdinand has hailed the mindset of Manchester United Europa League hero Antony.
The Brazilian came off the bench to score their second-half winner against Barcelona, securing a 2-1 win on the night and a 4-3 success on aggregate. Antony, who followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax last summer, has struggled to live up expectations at Old Trafford.
But Ferdinand cited his positive attitude as a major plus, which is a far cry from the low mood around the camp last season. United’s lavishly assembled squad continued to underdeliver whilst their behaviour, often led by Cristiano Ronaldo, was widely criticised.
Now, with the Portuguese star gone, there appears to have been a change in the mood and atmosphere on the red side of Manchester. Ferdinand’s comments point to a positive change that may have come about since Ronaldo was ushered out.
He said on social media: “That’s what you want to see. People coming off the bench and making an impact. Not sulking, adding to the cause.”
Antony was introduced at half-time and his manager praised his impact. Ten Hag said: “We know that if we can bring Antony on, we can bring Alejandro Garnacho on, in the right areas you get speed, runs in behind, you get dribbles, and you get belief. They are both so brave. They dare, they don’t fear anyone, and, especially when you go to Stretford End, and they take players on, run in behind, it gives a boost to the whole team.”
Several former United stars, who are revelling in their revival this term, were among those to criticise the senior members of the squad for their antics on the pitch last term. When things went against United, rarely did they show any resilience, instead bemoaning their team-mates.
Gary Neville was among those to be outspoken, calling out Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. He said at one point last season: “I watched Ronaldo and Fernandes up front, nothing. I saw them flailing their arms a few times at a couple of their team-mates which I didn’t like. That needs to stop!”
He doubled down on that stance when he took aim at the whole team. “They’re whinging at each other – they’re a bunch of whingebags,” he claimed. “They’re a bunch of whingebags. Watch them on that pitch. I’m not going to go into the names but honestly they’re whinging at each other. Their arms are up in the air, they’re complaining about everything.”
source:www.mirror.co.uk
