Antony vs Cody Gakpo: which winger should Man Utd sign?

Karan Tejwani

• 19 Aug 2022 14:13 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United recently had an €80 million bid for Brazilian winger Antony rejected, but reportedly aren’t giving up on signing the player in this transfer window.

It’s believed that they will come back later with a more improved bid for the 22-year-old as they hope to get Erik ten Hag’s priority target for the right wing.

They’re also keeping tabs on PSV’s Cody Gakpo, as Ten Hag is an admirer of the player and they’ll move for the Dutchman if they give up entirely on signing Antony this summer.

So, who’d be the better player and better fit between the two for Ten Hag’s attack as they look to get back and firing for the rest of the Premier League season?

Ajax and PSV both have gems on the wing

Last season, Antony ended the campaign with 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, which may not tell the whole story, as his creativity goes beyond just those numbers.

He also suffered with injury issues that blighted the second half of the season after his starring role in Ajax’s win over Feyenoord, where he scored the winner in a 3-2 success back in March.

Gakpo, meanwhile, had a much better campaign when it comes to goals and assists figures, netting 23 goals and 16 assists in 53 appearances.

Over the course of their careers, Antony has 24 goals and 22 assists in 82 official matches for Ajax, while Gakpo has 45 goals and 37 assists in 141 official games for PSV.

That helped him on to a Dutch Footballer of the Year gong, voted by his fellow peers and a more permanent role in the Dutch national team set-up under Louis van Gaal.

Away from goals and assists from last season, Antony records a better number when it comes to key passes completed per match, (0.88) compared to Gakpo’s (0.77), hinting at slightly better creativity.

Antony also tends to have a greater tendency to create more chances through crosses, averaging over double (3.1) than what Gakpo records (1.36), although this doesn’t necessarily indicate accuracy.

In terms of dribbling, Gakpo does seem to be more willing to drive with the ball, averaging six dribble per match on average, compared Antony’s 4.4.

He also has greater success in dribbles, completing 65 percent of his, compared to the Brazilian’s slightly lesser 59 percent, which is an interesting detail.

Both are quite happy to go for goal as well - Gakpo averages 3 shots per match, while Antony isn't too far behind on 2.8.

This season, both have made positive starts, with Gakpo helping his team in their push to qualify for the Champions League, while Antony has starred in Ajax’s domestic campaign thus far.

Both players are rated highly by Manchester United and Ten Hag and neither will come in cheap – they have a suitable skill set that the manager would appreciate, and they will test both clubs’ resolve in the coming days.