Sir Alex Ferguson’s former right-hand man has told Ruben Amorim to sell two ‘selfish’ Manchester United players who are ‘bad for the club’ this summer.
Amorim was given around £100million to spend as he looks to overhaul his side following United’s dismal 15th-placed finish in the Premier League.
Forward Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves after his £62.5million release clause was triggered, while Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo looks to be closing in on a move to Old Trafford despite an initial £55m offer being rebuffed this week.
However, several players will have to make way to free up more funds and United are believed to be open to letting the bulk of Amorim’s squad go for the right price.
Rene Meulensteen, who worked under Ferguson between 2007 and 2013, has ripped into wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, insisting they must be the first to go.
Incredibly, Meulensteen also brutally labelled Antony, who spent the six months of the season on loan at Real Betis, ‘selfish’ while declaring Garnacho is ‘bad’ for United.
Manchester United have been told to sell Alejandro Garnacho and Antony this summer
Antony has brutally been branded ‘selfish’ by Sir Alex Ferguson’s former right-hand man
Ruben Amorim will have to offload players in order to free up more funds to splash the cash
He also claimed Ajax were ‘doing cartwheels’ after agreeing to sell Antony for a whopping £80million in August 2022 – with United now braced for a significant loss.
‘I wouldn’t bring Antony back because I’ve seen enough of him that he’s not cut out for the club and not good enough,’ Meulensteen told Tipman Tips. ‘His performances are fuelled by his personality and are not for the good of the team, he’s selfish.
‘You will never get your £80m back from Antony. I thought it was stupid business at the time when I heard it was happening.
‘I know that when they heard about the deal in Amsterdam, they were doing cartwheels. It shows again that players in those lower leagues, like Holland, are completely different. They’re playing very different styles, a slower tempo.
‘Teams like Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord are the best, so it’s easy for them to look good.
‘But coming into the Premier League is so much different. What is Antony’s return? How many goals and assists has he got? He’s probably got as many, if not more, in Spain than in England, that different kind of football is more ideal for him.’
Meulensteen delivered an equally damning verdict on Garnacho after the winger hit out at Amorim, having been dropped for the Europa League final defeat.
‘Garnacho is the same as Antony,’ Meulensteen added. ‘Yes, he’s a young boy but, personality-wise, some things are not right with him and he’s bad for the club. That shows in his performances and lack of consistency.
Rene Meulensteen was part of Ferguson’s first-team coaching staff between 2007 and 2013
Amorim told Garnacho he had better ‘pray’ he finds a new club in front of his team-mates
Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave Amorim a reported budget of £100million before outgoings
‘He’s a young player who has good value to him, so if they were to get offered any sort of money, they should cut their losses, because he isn’t going to live up to his potential at Old Trafford and that can free up some money to spend elsewhere.’
Garnacho, 20, admitted it had been a ‘s***’ season for United after the 1-0 defeat by Tottenham in Bilbao and Amorim later warned him he needed to ‘pray’ he was able to find a new club in front of his team-mates in an extraordinary dressing down.
His departure from Old Trafford, which would represent pure profit on the books, now appears all but certain.
Antony impressed during his loan stint at Betis but the LaLiga outfit do not have the money to match United’s asking price of around £30-35m.
Bayer Leverkusen, now managed by Erik ten Hag, are believed to be interested.
