After signing for Manchester United, Sky Germany mocked up an image of Jadon Sancho as 007 in a tuxedo alongside his statistics – no goals or assists in seven appearances.

Sancho has struggled to make an impact after joining from Borussia Dortmund, and the German media chose to make light of his slow start with a James Bond-themed joke.

If those numbers were terrible, Antony’s record of no goals and no assists in 18 games this season is far worse, and he surely does not have a license to thrill.

Antony had a poor first season after joining from Ajax, but he was given the benefit of the doubt because he was in a new environment, and it was anticipated he may grow in the upcoming season.

Instead, the 23-year-old has regressed, becoming unacceptable to even the most ardent admirers due to his bad performances and unwillingness to contribute in attacking scenarios.

United privately admitted to paying £86 million for Antony, and that gamble has backfired. They hoped he would become one of the world’s top wingers, but it is improbable.

Antony made a strong initial impression, scoring three goals in his first three outings against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Everton, albeit his performances were obscured by his ability to score.

Naturally, scoring a goal determines how a player’s performance is regarded, and he deserved credit for a strong goal start, but the goals dried up and the scrutiny increased.

While Antony may be dangerous when cutting inside on his left foot, defenses quickly figured him out, and he’s now possibly the most one-dimensional player in the Premier League.

Surprisingly, the season is nearing its end and he has yet to score or assist. The calendar year 2023 has not been kind to him, as he has only produced one league goal in the last 12 months.

Antony appears to be worth a fraction of the amount paid for his signature, and there is already talk of United cutting their losses since, despite a recent comeback, he has failed to capitalize on some hopeful signals.

The Brazilian had his greatest game of the season against Galatasaray and would have felt cheated if he’d been dropped against Newcastle, but he’s been awful since returning to the starting lineup.

United fans have been waiting for Antony to come alive and produce regular performances, but this has yet to happen. Sancho was in the same circumstance, but it never happened to him.

The five most expensive signings in United history are Paul Pogba, Antony, Harry Maguire, Romelu Lukaku, and Sancho, highlighting the club’s poor record in the transfer market.

United have been the worst buys in football over the last decade, and with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the way, it’s hoped Antony will be the last player to fail after signing for a multi-million pound sum.

Antony had only eight goals and four assists in his final season in the Eredivisie, and given the standard of the Dutch top division, that level of productivity did not justify the sum paid.

Ratcliffe famously condemned the singing of Fred for £50 million as ‘stupid money’ in 2019, and it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on the £86 million invested in Antony.

Ratcliffe’s terminology would almost certainly be colorful, and he’s unlikely to go on record saying so.