Antony at leftback…

Tenacious.
Good tackling.
Ball retention.
Strong.
Tracks back.
No attacking threat.
Better than Lindelof.

Do it.
This isn't as crazy as you think. He does track back. He might work in a Amorim system as a left wing back. He definitely isn't a winger. We all know that. But he could convert in a 3-4-3 scenario
 
Why not take a punt on a few EFL wing backs. Liam Millar and Sorba Thomas, better than what we have now. Would be cheap too.
 
Amorim's attacking width comes from his wing backs. It's vital we play with a left footer at LWB to keep the width.
Yes it comes from the wingbacks however it’s certainly not vital. Amorim has been playing 17 y/o Quenda who is left footed as their RWB this season.
 
Yeah it worked with those 2 because they had footballing brains, and were selfless, they were for the team.
Well, yeah, quite. But Anthony's skill set isn't any worse than theirs. Valencia at right wing took a huge amount of criticism. Wing back also might be an easier sell than left back which with Antony was never going to work. If the manager can get him to commit to the project then it should work. Antony needs to accept that if he wants to play at one of the big clubs then he's not good enough to be one of the forwards. Van Gaal spelled that out for Young and Valencia. It's up to him really.
 
If he can focus on defending and crossing and stop taking shots he could be a great candidate for a converted wingback.
 
Well, yeah, quite. But Anthony's skill set isn't any worse than theirs. Valencia at right wing took a huge amount of criticism. Wing back also might be an easier sell than left back which with Antony was never going to work. If the manager can get him to commit to the project then it should work. Antony needs to accept that if he wants to play at one of the big clubs then he's not good enough to be one of the forwards. Van Gaal spelled that out for Young and Valencia. It's up to him really.
Young and Valencia were vastly superior players.
 
Young and Valencia were vastly superior players.

Valencia especially. He was also built like a tank, had outrageous pace and didn't play on the opposite side of the pitch to his stronger foot...and even then everyone eventually seemed to decide he was crap at full back (even though I thought he was still pretty good there until near the time he left).

Young again wouldn't disagree except that I was never convinced by him as a fullback anyway. Tried his best but too wasteful/one dimensional in possession and could be bullied. I think he was fine as a back up option or wing back.

I still don't see Antony working as a wing back in a back 5. The delivery/final product would be even more important and that's one of his biggest problem areas. He will just cut inside every time and then he's also out of position defensively so someone would have to be constantly covering for him.
 
Antony will be out of the door in the next window. Most likely on loan to a side in Turkey. He’s done at United and I don’t see a scenario where he kicks a ball for the first team again hopefully.
 
Well this is desperate, just because he is a shit winger doesn't mean he is a good wing back.

He works hard at times but is a lacking physicality, a bit dozy and offers nothing going forward

Other than that sure it would be great
 
Well this is desperate, just because he is a shit winger doesn't mean he is a good wing back.

He works hard at times but is a lacking physicality, a bit dozy and offers nothing going forward

Other than that sure it would be great
I don't know. I still feel that there's a good player in there, just not a good winger. It'd be good if we could get something out of him.
 
Yeah he should be left back... in the fecking dressing room.

He's a shite player that offers nothing, needs to be moved on.
 
Why LB and why not RB? Doesn't he like the right side more than the left?
Playing a different position and on his wrong foot would just make it an even madder decision.
Imagine constantly bringing it back on his left foot to get even the easiest pass away
 
Tenacious.
Good tackling.
Ball retention.
Strong.
Tracks back.
No attacking threat.
Better than Lindelof.

Do it.
article-1194252-0567D078000005DC-181_468x344.jpg
 
Valencia especially. He was also built like a tank, had outrageous pace and didn't play on the opposite side of the pitch to his stronger foot...and even then everyone eventually seemed to decide he was crap at full back (even though I thought he was still pretty good there until near the time he left).

Young again wouldn't disagree except that I was never convinced by him as a fullback anyway. Tried his best but too wasteful/one dimensional in possession and could be bullied. I think he was fine as a back up option or wing back.

I still don't see Antony working as a wing back in a back 5. The delivery/final product would be even more important and that's one of his biggest problem areas. He will just cut inside every time and then he's also out of position defensively so someone would have to be constantly covering for him.
We're not talking about Antony playing in a back 5. This is an old thread that was bumped by someone with the suggestion of Antony playing as a left wing back in Amorim's 3-4-3, which is a pretty different role to playing in a back 5. It's essentially a midfield role really.
 
Might be worth a shout playing him as the left midfielder in the 3-4-2-1.

He helps out the defense better than Garnacho and Rashford do at any rate.

Not as the starting midfielder but a substitute.

And for people who think we will get rid of him , it's not that easy. The silly wages we paid him would put off most clubs. Even if we were to get rid of him , we would still end up subsidizing most of his salary.

He's been a disaster for United but playing him as a wide midfielder is probably the best we could do. Unless he's really shit at that as well too.
 
He has 0 defending awareness, he is not even an intelligent player, he will never adapt to play at LB, especially in a league like this. Being tenacious and running without a purpose is not enough to become a defender.
Not everyone is Antonio Valencia.
Yep. Also, Valencia could outrun and outmuscle pretty much everyone. I remember even a prime Sane tried a kick and run with him, never tried it again. That and he was hardworking as hell.
 
Surely he realises this is the only chance to save his United career
 
Antony would not work as a LWB or LB. Just because we did it with Valencia and Young doesn't mean we can do it with every winger.

Antony is not fast or strong and not actually defensively good enough. He has a good work rate, sure, which makes him seem defensively acceptable for a winger, but as a WB where he would have more defensive responsibilities, he will be found wanting.
 
Best for all is Erik getting a job soon and taking Antony with him for £100 million in January. Can't see the problem myself.
 
Then we could try Amad there as well, also prefers left foot and is a much better player than Antony.
 
Then we could try Amad there as well, also prefers left foot and is a much better player than Antony.
I don't think Amad could do the defensive side as well. Plus Antony seems a better athlete (not footballer) than Amad, which would suit the role.