Manchester United: Gabriel Agbonlahor claims Antony needs to mirror Ashley Young

Manchester United winger Antony needs to mirror Ashley Young’s style of play, according to Gabriel Agbonlahor.
The Lowdown: Antony again
United’s £81.3m summer arrival from Ajax has come in for yet more criticism in the aftermath of the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest which booked their place at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final.
The 22-year-old played 63 minutes before he was substituted with the score at 0-0, with him only once completing the 90 minutes in the Premier League since returning from the World Cup.
Having claimed just one assist in 22 games since joining United, his final product has been called into question, with just two cup goals since October showing for his efforts in front of goal.
The Latest: Agbonlahor’s comments
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor claimed that Antony needs to drop his tricks and find a final product like his former teammate and ex-United winger Young produced, saying:
“I think he’s a bluffer. When he gets the ball, he doesn’t take a player on, he hasn’t got the speed to take players on.
“He doesn’t do what Rashford does. Rashford gets the ball, [is] direct, takes players on, gets balls into the box, and the big thing for me is his number of crosses – he’s put one and a half crosses in [per] game.
“If you’re a striker, you’re making runs, he’s doing his tricks, he’s cutting in, cutting back, not putting the ball in the box.
“I played with a great winger called Ashley Young, still playing now at 37.
“You always knew he was going to put the ball in, he’d take a player on, do his stepovers, cut back, do his chops, but he’d always put the ball in the right areas.
“For me, Antony is not good enough.”
The Verdict: Needs to develop?
Antony has so far fallen victim to his price tag and weight of being a United superstar this season, with the flaws in the 22-year-old’s game evidently clear and noticed by Agbonlahor.
His stats this year are hugely underwhelming considering the excitement surrounding his arrival, with him only in the top 49% for dribbles completed amongst wingers over the past year and the bottom 24% for shot-creating actions (via FBref).
Compare him to former £15m United man Young, whose greatest output at Villa saw him score nine and assist 14 in the 2007/08 season (via Premier League), Antony’s current tally is nowhere near good enough.
Therefore, it is hard to argue against Agbonlahor until the Brazilian shows some improvement.
