Man United’s Antony accuses certain club legends of ‘never giving constructive criticism’ as he labels their comments ‘malicious and unfair’… but admits the Red Devils are ‘UNSTABLE’ this season

Man United star Antony has taken aim at pundits who have made ‘unfair’ and ‘malicious’ comments about him this season – insisting none of them have ever given him ‘contructive criticism’.

The Brazilian has endured a difficult season at Old Trafford this term and has struggled for confidence while United suffer turbulent form under the leadership of Erik ten Hag.

The winger – who cost United £85million from Ajax last summer – has failed to score or assist in ten Premier League games so far in this campaign, putting him under fire and earning some stern criticism from former United legends in the TV studios. 

In October, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville labelled him ’embarrassing’ after kicking out at Jeremy Doku during United’s 3-0 loss to Man City – while he’s also received stick from the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes in the past. 

Antony has now taken a swipe at pundits for criticising without offering any positives or sending him messages of support during ‘a period of turbulence I am going through’.

The Brazilian winger has come under fire from the likes of Gary Neville (L) and Paul Scholes (R)

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‘Today, I see criticism coming from former club players and other people in the media, who unreasonably express their opinions and influence thousands of fans, sometimes even when I do not play. 

But I’ve never seen them give constructive criticism, which will help me be a better professional. None of them have ever sent me a message to see how I am feeling, especially during this period of turbulence that I am going through.’ 

The 23-year-old slammed the ‘digital court’ which was judging him and said it was easy to criticise when no one was experiencing the challenges he faces as a player.

‘I would like to know how these people who make these unfair and malicious criticisms fared in my place,’ he said. 

He also speak about his ‘daily battle’ of getting in top shape, ‘regaining my integrity’ and ‘having peace of mind’. 

Antony has struggled to impress this season – failing to score or assist in the Premier League

Speaking on United’s struggles on the pitch, where Ten Hag’s men have lost six times in the Premier League – putting them in seventh place in the table – and are in danger of being knocked out of the Champions League. 

Ten Hag is now facing huge pressure over his position ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Wednesday night, with Antony admitting the team are ‘unstable’. 

‘The season is not as good as we wanted; we are unstable,’ he said. ‘But we lost a lot of injured players, fundamental pieces for Erik Ten Hag‘s chess. With the return of part of the squad, we will improve, and results will improve.’ 

In addition to criticism from Neville, Ferdinand has previously criticised Antony, claiming the winger is unable to beat a man. 

‘The concerning thing for me with somebody like Antony is that he can’t beat anyone – and for a Brazilian that’s surprising,’ he told his VibeWithFive podcast last year. 

Rio Ferdinand has also been a vocal critic of the Brazilian, slamming his ability to beat a man 

‘He just doesn’t beat anyone and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Was that always the way?’

‘I’ve seen clips of him when he was at Ajax and he was somebody who used to beat people. I saw [Thomas] Partey – who I wouldn’t put down as like a roaster, a sprinter – absolutely burst past him, and I’m thinking, ‘Woah, he [Antony] hasn’t got much power in them legs’.

He also received stick from another United legend in Paul Scholes – who described the player as a ‘one trick pony’ last season.

‘Antony on the other side, he doesn’t run in behind. He seems to be a bit of a one-trick pony.

‘He’s always cutting inside and either passing back to the full-back or having a shot. You’re thinking he needs to develop a little bit. It’s still early days for him, we know that.’