Manchester United could allow flop winger Antony to depart the club on loan in January with a view to him sealing a permanent transfer next summer.

Erik ten Hag worked with Antony at former club Ajax, and while the manager wasn’t the only person involved in pursuing the Brazilian, a deal worth up to £86m was eventually hammered out.

United came under fire in December 2023 when a report revealed that club scouts had previously identified Antony as a £25m player during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge. United later communicated to Ajax an intention to pay no more than £60m, only to eventually end up coughing up £82m in guaranteed money and making Antony their second most expensive signing ever.

So far this season, the 24-year-old has been behind Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo in the pecking order for wide places. The recent departures of Jadon Sancho, Omari Forson and Facundo Pellistri have thinned the herd without improving his prospects.

It’s been just 139 minutes across all competitions, with Barnsley in the Carabao Cup his only start.

The Daily Mail writes that United are considering their options and are “open” to Antony leaving Old Trafford on loan when January comes. Ultimately that could help secure a more permanent exit, but recouping anything close to the original investment is highly unlikely. The suggestion is that United would be willing to listen to offers as low as £40m to take the player off their hands.

Although he started his United career with goals in three successive Premier League games – including against Arsenal and Manchester City, Antony quickly went off the boil. Scoring the winner against Barcelona in February 2023 has been a rare highlight since then, while his best performance of last season was saved for an FA Cup tie against League Two side Newport County.

Last season also began with controversy amid allegations of domestic assault when multiple women came forward accusing the player of violence towards them. He denied the allegations.

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