How Mohammed Kudus became Ten Hag’s biggest blunder

Robin Bairner

• 19 May 2024 18:00 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United fans could be forgiven for wondering if Erik ten Hag was Ajax manager before he made his move to Old Trafford 18 months ago.

After all, that would explain why he was willing to sanction a €95 million deal in 2022 to sign Antony from the Amsterdam club when Mohammed Kudus was waiting in the wings to move for far less.

Ghana international Kudus ultimately got his transfer, though to West Ham, but for a fee of €43m, he has proven infinitely better value for David Moyes’s side.

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Kudus’ quality was again evident in Sunday's Premier League encounter against Manchester City, a match in which he scored one of the goals of the season. With West Ham trailing 2-0, he chipped the ball up for himself following a corner before delivering the ball into the net with an outstanding overhead kick

It was the sort of moment a €95m man might have been expected to produce on occasion.

And yet the most memorable thing Antony has managed in 18 months at Man Utd has been spinning round the ball. It was a moment wonderful for meme creators. For fans of the Red Devils, not so much.

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The paucity of Antony’s output this season is well-established. In the Premier League, no one needs to be reminded, he has just one goal and one assist. In all competitions, he has three goals and two decisive passes. This, remember, for €95m.

Kudus, meanwhile, has eight goals and a further six assists in the league alone. Overall, his return of 18 goals and seven assists cannot be quibbled with. He may have cooled down in the second half of the campaign, yet his quality has been undoubted.

Antony, on the other hand, has just five Premier League goals and three assists in two seasons.

This stagnation is perhaps the most alarming thing about Antony’s time at Man Utd. Data analytics firm SciSports show that his level has absolutely flatlined since moving to Old Trafford.

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While the experts believe there is scope for improvement, there is little reason to believe that it is just around the corner given what he has produced to date.

Kudus, meanwhile, has seen a significant bounce since moving to West Ham.

Quite how Ten Hag worked with both at Ajax and this is the outcome is puzzling.

Recruitment has been one of the major sticks to beat the Dutchman since he took the reins at Man Utd over 18 months ago, and the case of Antony and Kudus is the sharpest evidence yet that he gets too much wrong.