Man Utd made mistake signing flop who's now worth 12x less than Antony

Man Utd made mistake signing flop who’s now worth 12x less than Antony

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe now in charge of proceedings at Manchester United, the future of the club seems to be heading in the right direction.

The new owner’s first major task will be to identify the mistakes made over the past decade, with the lack of strategy in the transfer market being a standout issue.

From the likes of Jadon Sancho to Harry Maguire, United have become known for paying enormous fees for talent that haven’t been able to justify the money spent.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one individual whose value has significantly dropped since signing under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, even now being worth far less than the struggling Antony.

Antony’s market value in 2024

After scoring on his debut against Arsenal following an £86m move from Ajax last summer, it seemed that United would have the right wing position secured for the foreseeable future.

However, his time in Manchester has been far from the dream destination it once was viewed as, with the Brazilian failing to score at all in the Premier League this season over 22 matches.

That said, the 24-year-old enjoyed his most memorable moment with the Red Devils badge on his chest in United’s most recent game, as he scored an 87th-minute equaliser in the victory over Liverpool, which could have just revived his career at the club.

Nonetheless, the number 21 is still estimated to be worth £52m by CIES Football Observatory, which makes him one of the most valuable players at Old Trafford, unlike one player who’s now one of the least valuable.

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Donny van de Beek’s value in 2024

When Donny van de Beek arrived from Ajax for £40m in the summer of 2020, he was viewed as one of the most versatile midfielders in Europe, even becoming a Ballon d’Or nominee in 2019.

However, the Netherlands star would only go on to make four starts over 19 Premier League appearances in his first season, with Solskjaer failing to find a position for him in the lineup.

Unfortunately, this has been the same problem under every manager since, even under Ten Hag – with whom Van de Beek played his best football under at Ajax – making just 62 appearances for the Red Devils.

The reason for this is Bruno Fernandes’ unbelievable availability, which has seen him never miss a game in a United shirt due to injury, the 4-2-3-1 being the opted-for formation, and the Dutch ace being “invisible” when handed a chance, as per football creator Liam Canning.

This resulted in the 26-year-old becoming unhappy with a lack of opportunity and game time, with Ten Hag allowing the midfielder to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in January until the summer.

MUFC’s Lowest Valued Midfielders

Player

Value

Casemiro

£17m

Mason Mount

£17m

Sofyan Amrabat

£8.6m

Christian Eriksen

£8.6m

Van de Beek

£4m

Via CIES’ Football Observatory

As you can see above, Van de Beek’s inability to adapt and impress in the Premier League has caused his value to plummet to £4m, which is currently 13 times less than Antony’s worth, while making him one of the lowest-valued midfielders in Ten Hag’s squad.

Unfortunately, since joining Frankfurt, he’s struggled to become an important player in the side, playing six matches while spending four of his last seven on the bench.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the worldwide astronomical rises and falls of player transfer values.

This all but confirms the fact that his career at Man United is over, in what has been a disaster of a move for both Van de Beek and the club.