Edwin van der Sar tells Ruben Amorim to give under-fire Man Utd duo another chance

Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar hopes Ruben Amorim gives both Antony and Andre Onana an opportunity to win back the trust of fans at Old Trafford next season.

Antony joined United with weighty expectations on his shoulders on the back of an £82million move from Ajax back in 2022.

But the 25-year-old winger has badly struggled to live up to his hefty price tag at the Theatre of Dreams and is widely considered to be one of United’s all-time worst signings.

However, Antony enjoyed an extraordinary resurgence in the second half of last season after being sent on loan to Real Betis, finishing with nine goals and five assists in all competitions for the La Liga outfit.

The Spanish club are keen to extend their temporary agreement for Antony beyond the summer and there talks are ongoing behind the scenes, with the Red Devils keen to resolve the Brazilian’s future as quickly as possible.

Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen are also said to be exploring permanent moves for Antony as they scour the transfer market for attacking reinforcements.

But according to Van der Sar, Antony should be given another chance to rescue his United career, even though Matheus Cunha’s arrival from Wolves would appear to further block his path to the first-team.

Asked for his thoughts on the club’s transfer dealings, Van der Sar told The Sun: ‘They’re on the right track.

‘I think they’re signing a more experienced striker, maybe another one on the way.

‘The two players they signed in the winter break [Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven] are good, so it should be fine and give the faith to the manager.

‘Maybe [Alejandro] Garnacho is going to go. I would say bring Antony back, but I’m not sure if that’s realistic.’

In a separate interview with talkSPORT, Van der Sar encouraged United to keep the faith in Onana, despite an error-strewn start to the goalkeeper’s Old Trafford career.

‘I knew him already for a long time, for four or five years at Ajax,’ the ex-United and Netherlands shot-stopper said.

‘I trained with him and I saw him coming… he has great strengths, he’s athletic, he has good reaction saves, he’s good with his feet and everything, so I’m sure he’s going to get over it.

‘Sometimes it’s not easy, the performances or the pressure there is, but I’ve seen him play for Ajax and Inter, I’ve seen him play Champions League finals so I’m sure that’s going to be fine for next season.’

According to Van der Sar, United should prioritise strengthening other areas of Amorim’s squad before looking to find an upgrade for Onana.

He added: ‘I think there are more areas, other areas, where United should see if they can have better players, but I don’t think the goalkeeping situation doesn’t need to be addressed.

‘Blame him if he makes a mistake or if he drops one through the legs or he misplaces a ball out from the back. Yeah, then you can blame the goalkeeper, of course.

‘He’s not been consistent in his performances this year. With the qualities he has, he should be able to play for Manchester United, of course, for next season.’

Van der Sar believes Amorim’s players should be better equipped at dealing with the intense scrutiny and pressure they have faced throughout United’s malaise.

‘Pressure has always been the case here in England, in the Premier League,’ he continued.

‘In our time, you had television or Sky Sports or The Sun or the Sunday papers, but nowadays, everybody has a social media outlet.

‘How many ex-players can you have on television, saying something on the radio? So all the time everything is talked about, for four or five hours, about their mistake, about the tactical way the coach put the team forward.

‘It’s part of the job. They are being paid well, you should take the pressure and deliver the level that they think, the club thinks, they can produce on the pitch.’

The Dutchman, a four-time Premier League winner with United, went on: ‘It was an underwhelming season for the club, of course, and it’s been a few years now that they didn’t reach the level that they’re supposed to reach.

‘Also, some other clubs have stepped up, even some smaller clubs who are well organised and difficult to play against.

‘It was a very poor season, topped off with losing the Europa League final against Tottenham without having a real fight.’

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