Man Utd set cut-price Antony transfer fee as Ratcliffe hatches desperate plan

Manchester United are ready to offload Antony and are hopeful of securing £40million for the Brazilian flop.

The winger, signed from Ajax in Erik ten Hag 's first summer, has been one of the most underwhelming signings in top flight history. His astronomical £86m fee, coupled with his lack of return on the pitch, makes him one of the worst buys in Premier League history.

Antony has slipped down the pecking order as patience wears thin and the club are already prepared to get him off their books despite their huge investment. The Daily Mail reports that United would prefer to sanction a loan move for the 24-year-old in January.

Their hope is that an improved showing elsewhere may increase his market value with more suitors potentially coming to the table in the summer. Antony is unlikely to get much exposure in Manchester with his minutes at a premium so far this term and a number of players ahead of him.

Despite the exits of Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood Antony remains behind Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo. His only goal came in the 7-0 rout over Barnsley but he has been largely unproductive in the final third over the past 18 months.

Antony scored on his debut to help see off Arsenal more than two years ago, but has rarely enjoyed any high points since that afternoon. Instead he's become a symbol of the transfer failures that continue to plague the club and Ten Hag's tenure.

The Brazilian himself went on strike to secure a move from Ajax to Manchester with Ten Hag a huge driver behind his transfer despite the fee continuing to rise. He is one of a number of players who have arrived for huge sums yet failed to match expectations.

Paul Pogba is the only man in United history to have cost more than Antony. The Frenchman's talent was undeniable but he was immensely inconsistent and struggled to nail down a favoured position. He eventually left on a free. Romelu Lukaku was another expensive signing who was allowed to leave after two years following a change of manager.

Ten Hag had previously backed Antony to succeed, stating earlier this year that the player retained his backing. "We will support him, absolutely. All staff, me as a manager, I support him and I have 100 percent belief in him," he said.

"I know what he is capable of. And I have seen his moments. I have seen that for Ajax. In 82 games, he scored 24 goals and had 22 assists. And he was performing in the Champions League. He was unstoppable. Also we have seen here, in his first three Premier League games, he scored three goals, so he is capable of it.”