Rio Ferdinand claimed the under-fire Antony would admit he is not performing at the level he would want to, but insisted Manchester United fans much be patient with the Brazilian.
The former Ajax star arrived at Old Trafford for an £85m fee in the summer and – despite a bright start that saw him score three times in his first three Premier League appearances – Antony has struggled over recent weeks.
In fact, he is yet to add to his early goal tally in the league and has provided zero assists across 14 appearances.
Antony has been heavily criticised for his displays recently – particularly against Liverpool during the disastrous 7-0 defeat – and he failed to impact United’s 0-0 draw against Southampton on Sunday before he was withdrawn for Facundo Pellistri.
And Ferdinand seemingly agreed that the Brazilian needed to do more, but claimed he has to be allowed time to bed in at the club.
Manchester United winger Antony has been heavily criticised for his performances recently
Rio Ferdinand insisted Antony knows he needs to do better but called for patience from fans
‘I think Antony, if he looks at his game and if he had a crystal ball before the season started and looked at where he is now he’d probably go “I’m not where I want to be and I’m not doing what I thought I’d be doing right now”,’ he told Rio Ferdinand presents FIVE.
‘Yeah, he’s scored a couple of goals here and there but if he is honest with himself, he’d say there is more to come from me and we have to be patient with that as a fanbase.’
Antony has shown flashes of his undoubted talent and has scored some crucial goals, including the match-winner in United’s Europa League play-off round victory over Barcelona, while he also netted against Real Betis in the first leg of the last-16 clash last week.
Ferdinand insisted he hoped the winger – who was part of Brazil’s World Cup squad – will prove his worth in time and pointed to former United greats who initially struggled upon their arrival at Old Trafford.
He added: ‘Not everyone hits the ground running. How many players do you sign and after a year you get rid of him?
Ferdinand highlighted Patrice Evra (L) and Nemanja Vidic (R) as players who took time to settle
Ten Hag’s side were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford by struggling Southampton on Sunday
‘We had Evra. First six months at Man United he could have been been shipped out and sold and no one would have remembered him.
‘Vidic too, and they all of a sudden became legends given time and I hope Antony will fall into that category.’
The stalemate with Southampton left United in third place – 11 points behind Man City in second place and six clear of Newcastle in fifth.
They are back in action on Thursday in the second leg of their last-16 Europa League tie with Real Betis with the Red Devils holding a 4-1 lead on aggregate, before they face Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
