Gary Neville has named Antony as the worst Manchester United signing since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, with Angel Di Maria also singled out for criticism.
The former United captain was asked to identify the most disappointing arrival of the post-Ferguson era, which has seen a significant amount of transfer business as the club attempted to rediscover the success of his reign. Neville ultimately settled on Antony, who cost £82 million and scored 12 goals in 96 appearances from the right wing.
Di Maria and Antony singled out
Speaking to The Athletic, Neville initially highlighted Di Maria, who was signed from Real Madrid in 2014 for just short of £60 million. The Argentina international, who would go on to win 145 caps for his country, spent only one season at Old Trafford, scoring four goals in 32 appearances across all competitions before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Di Maria was a bad one and I was so excited about him, by the way,” Neville said. “I thought that was an amazing signing. Can get from box to box, he’s quick, quality and then obviously he just didn’t adapt, didn’t settle. All those reasons. That was a bad one.”
Marouane Fellaini was suggested as a contender, but Neville dismissed the Belgian midfielder. “Fellaini I’ve no problem with,” he said. “He shouldn’t have signed for the club, but he’s not the worst signing. He gave his all and he was £25m-£30m, it’s not the biggest outlay.”
Antony gets the unwanted label
With expense in mind, Neville landed on his final answer. “When you’re looking at massive outlays, Antony. This is not a criticism of the boy, it’s reflective of United that he paid that money for him after panicking,” he said. “I would say Antony and Di Maria. I’d have to say Antony.”
Neville sounded more optimistic about recent signings at his former club, praising the arrivals from the summer of 2025. “This season I think [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Matheus] Cunha and [Senne] Lammens look like they’ve settled in. [Benjamin] Sesko looks like he might get there as well,” said the former England full-back.
“For me, this is the first time I feel like a recruitment cycle for a manager has worked. I don’t think for 12-13 years any recruitment cycle has worked. Only Bruno [Fernandes], for me, has stood out and is worth more than when he came.”
