According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Manchester United should have signed Mohammed Kudus from Ajax instead of Antony.

Antony was signed by the Red Devils from the Eredivisie giants in August 2022 for an estimated £82 million. The Brazilian winger is now the club’s second most expensive acquisition, after only Paul Pogba.

Antony, 23, has, however, fallen short of expectations since joining Old Trafford. In 64 appearances, he has eight goals and three assists, however he has not scored or assisted in 20 games this season across all competitions.

Antony was Kudus’ teammate at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The 23-year-old’s stock was growing, and he earned a reported £38 million move to West Ham United this summer.

Kudus has adjusted well to his new surroundings at the London Stadium, scoring nine goals and assisting once in 23 games across all competitions. Erik ten Hag knows the Ghanaian forward from his time as an assistant coach at Ajax.

Crook mentioned how tough it may be for players to adapt from the Eredivisie to the Premier League when mentioning Kudus. He told a UK radio station about Antony, saying:

“It’s not always easy to make the step up from the Dutch league, just ask Antony.”

Crook then questioned whether the Red Devils made a mistake by signing Antony and were now attempting to sign Kudus:

“I do wonder if Manchester United misspelled Kudus’ name when they made the official bid for Antony because it looks like they’ve signed the wrong winger from Ajax.”

Kudus excelled at Ajax under Ten Hag, scoring five goals and assisting four times in 42 appearances. He’s a versatile attacker who can play on the right wing, offensive midfield, or center field.

The Hammers forward talked about how his playing style worked well under Ten Hag. He stated (via United In Focus) in December 2022:

“I saw myself in (Ten Hag’s) creative and attacking style of play.” It matched my own features and how I wished to develop.”

Manchester United has struggled offensively this season. Antony’s bad record has coincided with Rasmus Hojlund’s slow start to the Premier League and Marcus Rashford’s decline from previous season.