Ex-Manchester United defender Jaap Stam says Erik ten Hag signing Antony is ‘not good enough for this level’ and has urged his former club to bring in ‘better players’.
Stam, who helped United win three Premier League titles and the Champions League, has been disappointed by Antony’s output since his £82m move from Ajax in 2022.
Antony only scored once in the Premier League last season and his overall record – 11 goals in 82 appearances – belies a player who became Manchester United’s second-most expensive signing.
‘The current United culture is completely different to how it was when I was a player,’ Stam said on William Hill podcast Up Front with Simon Jordan.
‘It boils down to the people at the club and how it is run, what they expect from the team, the players and the manager.
‘You need to raise the bar and set the standards high, but you also need to get your recruitment right and get the right players in.
‘If we’re looking at United’s team over the last couple of years and the players that have come in, yes there have been some young, talented individuals but there are also others that are debateable and not good enough for this level.
‘I think Antony did well in Holland and showed some quality there, but when you go to a different league and go to United with a big price tag it’s not the same.
‘The club need to bring in better players. With Antony, he’s been there almost two seasons and you can’t keep saying he will come good eventually.
‘If you’re bringing in players worth that much money, they need to make a difference.
‘Of course, it’ll take a couple of games, but they need to show their quality eventually, scoring goals and getting assists.’
Stam is pleased Manchester United have given Ten Hag a new deal but believes he ultimately ‘needs to go’ after an eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Ten Hag will need to guide United to a better Premier League finish this season to avoid the sack, with the Red Devils beginning the 2024-25 campaign on Friday night against Fulham.
‘For Ten Hag, it’s his third season at United – I think he needs to go,’ Stam added. ‘I think it’s good he signed a new contract because he still needs that little bit of help.
‘He needs to look at himself and how last season panned out, I don’t always agree with him in terms of him saying they played good football.
‘I understand that as a manager you need to be positive about your players and help them out by taking some of the pressure away.
‘That said, it’s also good to just be honest as a manager and say that your team played rubbish football.
‘He needs to step up this season, there have been a lot of changes made at the club with the staff so I’m curious how it’s going to work out for them.’
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