Man Utd Legend Admits He Would've Hated Being Antony's Teammate: 'He Would Drive Me Mad'

Former footballer Andy Cole has admitted that he would have hated being teammates with Antony at Manchester United.

Cole's comments came ahead of Manchester United's meeting with Newcastle United in the League Cup on Wednesday. Antony started the game at Old Trafford and yet again, the Brazilian striker failed to make any impact as the defending champions ended up losing 3-0 and were eliminated from the domestic competition.

'Antony doesn't score enough goals'

Cole, who won five Premier League titles with Manchester United, ripped into Antony, claiming he "would drive me absolutely mad".

"He would drive me absolutely mad. He's an individual, we all know he's very left-footed, he's an individual who never goes to the right-hand side so as a centre-forward, if you're making a run to the near post you know you're never going to get it," Cole told Sky Sports.

"He's going to check back, you're not sure when he's going to put it in the box," the former footballer added.

Antony, who has struggled to produce consistent performances since his arrival at Manchester United last year, unfortunately, did not prove Cole wrong when he took the field at Old Trafford and played all 90 minutes.

The Red Devils secured Antony on a big deal worth £85.6 million from Ajax, a move that saw the striker reunite with his former boss Erik ten Hag.

The 23-year-old playmaker scored eight goals and provided three assists in 44 matches across competitions in his maiden season with Manchester United. However, Antony has gone without goals or assists in 10 appearances for the Old Trafford side so far this season.

"He doesn't score enough goals for me, he doesn't create enough chances for his teammates. So you look at that and say, 'okay, what are you giving?'. That's what you're expecting from him," said Cole, who scored 121 goals in 275 matches for the Red Devils.

Cole also pointed out that Manchester United have spent "a hell lot of money" on Antony, who has "found it really really tough" to settle in despite the constant backing of head coach Ten Hag.

Man Utd boss backs Antony: 'He's a fighter'

Antony missed five games earlier this season when Manchester United granted him a special leave to voluntarily attend a police interview in September amid allegations of assault by a former girlfriend.

Gabriela Cavallin submitted complaints to Greater Manchester Police and Sao Paulo police accusing Antony of committing "physical and psychological violence" against her, with Antony denying all the allegations.

Since the Brazilian player was not arrested, detained or charged, Manchester United decided it was appropriate for him to return to the squad in late September.

Manchester United boss Ten Hag once again came out in support of Antony after their League Cup exit. The Dutch boss said "a lot of noise" around the player off the field has affected his performances.

"That is also team, first, and the team is not playing well when we don't bring him the balls and I am also responsible for that. But obviously, there was also a lot of noise and that dropped his levels. He can do better but all the players can do better," said Ten Hag.

Ten Hag went on to call Antony a "fighter", who he believes is brave and confident enough to revive his season in the coming games.

The 3-0 loss to Newcastle was Manchester United's second straight defeat at Old Trafford, with the home side losing by the same margin to neighbours Manchester City in the league derby last week.

The Red Devils are in eighth place in the 2023-24 Premier League table with 15 points from 10 games. Their next game is on Saturday when they travel to West London to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage.