2023 was the weakest year for Manchester United in terms of results since 1930, as the Red Devils suffered a large number of defeats, which is 21 in all competitions, with a very disappointing performance that puts the future of coach Erik ten Hag at stake.
When Ten Hag arrived at United, he declared that the era of Manchester City and Liverpool must end, and to do so, he wanted to support his team with many players, and his compass always leaned towards his former players at Ajax.
Ten Hag put intense pressure on the Manchester United management to sign Anthony from Ajax, and the Dutch coach actually fulfilled what he wanted, and the English club included the Brazilian player in a record deal worth 100 million euros.
But the sum of what Anthony provided compared to what he was paid for makes him one of the worst deals in United’s history.
Anthony completed 1,200 minutes this season in the English Premier League without making or scoring even a single goal. In general, it is clear that his skill abilities are more than modest and not worthy of a winger for a team the size of United.
In 65 matches over two years, Anthony scored only 8 goals and made 3 others, in addition to being suspended for a period due to being accused of rape.
Another surprising deal for Ten Hag was with United, when he insisted on including Mason Mount from Chelsea last summer, and for that, United paid 60 million euros to the Blues.
Throughout the entire year of 2023, Mason Mount did not manage to score a goal or provide even a single assist, which shows how much his level has declined and that he was not the best signing to support the Red Devils’ midfield.
As for Andre Onana, who was included by Ten Hag from Inter for more than 50 million euros, there is nothing wrong with very modest levels for a goalkeeper who is only good at playing with his old self.
Finally, Rasmus Hoyland, 70 million euros to support the attacking line, and the result is one hard-earned goal in the English Premier League.
More than a quarter of a billion euros were paid by United in the Mercato in the last two years, and the result is practically zero, no titles or competition, a year that is the worst in the history of the Red Devils for nearly a decade.
Ten Hag's dealings with the Mercato may make Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the new owner of United, set his sights on ousting the coach, or at best completely removing him from selection.
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