‘Bing Bing’ Anthony (Manchester United) faces stiff competition.
Manchester United lost 1-2 to Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday (Jan. 25) in the 26th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League season. It was the first time Manchester United had lost to Fulham at home in 21 years.
Manchester United couldn’t continue their good form. It was their first defeat since the turn of the year. The new year has been a completely different story. They’ve won four straight Premier League games and, on paper, they’ve won six and drawn one this year.
But against Fulham, the absence of a solution and the lack of competitiveness in the defense was evident. The gap left when Rasmus Hojelin, their leading scorer in 2024, went down with a muscle injury was not filled. Moving Marcus Rashford up front and playing Alejandro Garnacho, Omari Fortson, and Ahmad Diallo didn’t help either.
In the end, after conceding an early goal to Fulham, United looked to have a respite with Harry Maguire’s equalizer in stoppage time, only to hang their heads in shame after Thiago’s goal in stoppage time.
At this point, manager Eric ten Haag brought on Anthony in the 98th minute, with just over two minutes of stoppage time remaining, but it was an unlikely move given the time frame. If Fulham hadn’t scored the winner, Anthony would likely have been left off.
As a result, Anthony has lost a lot of his solid position. It wasn”t just this game. He hasn”t played a single full game this year, despite the team”s pace. The only time he did get an attacking point was against Newport County in the FA Cup, where he played 88 minutes. However, Newport are in the fourth tier, and it’s hard to guarantee him a starting spot elsewhere.
Coach Ten Haag didn’t have high hopes either. “He hasn’t shown it lately, but we know he has great potential. “Diallo is back from injury and training well, Poson is good, and we have options for Anthony. We have options to fill Anthony’s spot. We have options to fill Anthony’s spot, so we shouldn’t think that he will get the chance forever.”
Anthony joined Manchester United last season for an astronomical transfer fee of £85 million. He scored eight goals in his first season and looked to have settled in, but this season he has struggled. In 21 Premier League appearances, he hasn’t registered a single offensive point.
His playing time has also been gradually decreasing. His last start in the Premier League was against Nottingham Forest last 토토 December. Even Ten Haag, who signed him despite the overpayment controversy because of their time together at Ajax, can’t wait any longer.
Ten Haag was very considerate of Anthony. When the allegations of assaulting his girlfriend surfaced during the season, he said, “That explains why Anthony hasn’t been playing well. It’s very simple. It’s because of problems off the field. Last season, Anthony was fine. He was very good in the preseason. The first four games of this season were great. Since he came back from the police investigation, he hasn’t been the same Anthony we knew. He’s definitely a player who can be better than he is now.”
“The police investigation had a huge impact on him. That’s why it has to end. At Ajax, I saw what Anthony was capable of. He’s good at killing passes, crosses and finishing. He’s better on the big stage, in the UEFA Champions League. He needs to get back to that level as soon as possible.”
Anthony’s struggles have been blamed on the outside world, and now he’s struggling to get playing time. So much so that Ten Haag took him off in the 98th minute. This is the biggest crisis of his career, with speculation that United could sell him for as little as half of what they paid for him this summer.