Man Utd make first MISTAKE of Ratcliffe era with Antony replacement

Robin Bairner

• 16 Mar 2024 10:43 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United are set for a summer transfer revolution that will see a significant overhaul of the squad, with deadwood like Antony moved on in order to make way for fresh talent.

New minority owners Ineos are in the process of building a foundation for the club that will allow them to be more successful in the transfer market going ahead – or at least that is the idea.

One of the first steps that Man Utd have decided to make raises questions over their transfer smarts.

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In order to replace Antony, respected journalist Ben Jacobs reports, Man Utd will instead spend €70 million (£60m) on Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.

“The only ‘approved’ target so far, regarding specific names rather than positions, is Michael Olise,” he says.

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What is not in question here is Olise’s talent. With six goals and three assists for Palace this season, he has contributed to a score roughly every 80 minutes he has been on the field. That is no small feat at any club.

It certainly eclipses Antony, whose sum total this season equals a goal and an assist in the FA Cup against mid-table League Two outfit Newport County.

Where there have to be concerns over this deal, though, is the price point.

Man Utd to pay double for Olise

FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for Olise is just €37.2m – roughly half of what United are willing to pay for the France U21 international.

While this might be perceived to be a low valuation for a player who commands so much talent, there is an obvious drawback in signing the 22-year-old: he has been horribly injury prone.

Olise’s game time has been restricted this season because of hamstring troubles – the type of injury notorious for troubling players throughout their careers. He has missed around two-thirds of Palace’s games in 2023/24 because of two bouts of these problems.

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The London club know what they are doing with the young attack, meanwhile. When they picked him up from Reading in 2021, they paid just €9.3m. In reality, he was worth around twice that figure. Now there is a chance they could sell him for twice what he is worth.

So while Olise would be a good signing for Man Utd on paper, in reality it’s a gamble to commit so much money towards him, particularly with numerous areas of the squad needing help.