Louis Saha reveals where ‘one-footed’ Antony needs to improve but defends ‘unlucky’ Man Utd midfielder Casemiro

Louis Saha wants to see more from Man Utd winger Antony (Picture: Sky Sports)

Louis Saha has revealed where ‘one-footed’ Antony needs to improve but leaped to the defence of Casemiro following his second red card for Manchester United.

Brazilian winger Antony has flattered to deceive at Old Trafford, scoring seven goals in 29 appearances following his £82m move from Ajax last summer.

Earlier this week, PSV sporting director Marcel Brands described the fee Manchester United paid for Antony as ‘madness’.

Saha agrees that it was a lot of money to spend on a player with ‘no great stats’ but says Antony is a ‘terrific lad with amazing quality’ who can prove to be a success at Old Trafford.

But the two-time Premier League winner believes Antony is currently being held back by his reliance on his left foot and is ‘really unbalanced’.

‘Antony’s transfer was madness because there were no great stats which suggested he was of that calibre for Manchester United to spend that kind of money,’ Paddy Power ambassador Saha told Metro.co.uk.

‘But he’s a terrific lad with amazing quality. It takes time to adapt to the Premier League and physically, he’s done well to adapt so far.

Antony completed an £82m move from Ajax last summer (Picture: Getty)

‘There’s plenty of room for improvement, including crossing the ball with his right foot. He doesn’t dribble from his right foot either.

‘He has too much quality to only use one foot, it’s really unbalanced. There are areas of his game where he can improve, and I hope pre-season this summer will help him.

‘It’s annoying because he’s such a quality player and we expect more but he’s only just arrived, and he must adapt and learn.

‘He’s getting better, but the Premier League is not a training field, you have to perform and win games. You can have all the quality in the world but that’s not always enough.’

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Saha, who made 124 appearances for Manchester United, also defended Casemiro after the midfielder received his second red card in the space of five weeks.

Casemiro was shown a straight red for a late challenge on Carlos Alcaraz during United’s goalless Premier League draw with Southampton last weekend and will now be suspended for four games.

But Saha believes the former Real Madrid midfielder has been the victim of ’embarrassing’ interpretations of the law by referees since arriving in England.

‘Casemiro’s red cards don’t worry me, he’s just been unlucky,’ the former France striker added. ‘Referees who have never played a game of football will look at that and think he hasn’t controlled his tackle.

Casemiro has received two red cards in the past five weeks (Picture: Getty)

‘He’s been unlucky but there have been moments where he’s proved how pivotal he is to the team, and he makes them better. He has been very unlucky lately with performances – the only bad game he’s had was against Liverpool.

‘This is a player who has a lot of experience. He will learn and adapt, and he’ll understand that the referees are looking into him and his game.

‘If it was Marcus Rashford making the challenge, he would have got away with it, but because Casemiro is a defensive midfielder, he wasn’t so lucky.

‘The referees’ interpretations are ridiculous at the moment. It’s just all about referees and it’s just getting embarrassing now.

‘With VAR, we’ve seen that there is a tendency to influence the referee’s decision in the way they highlight one angle and showing the referee that one angle. Whereas we can all see extra angles on the TV, and I don’t understand how the interpretation can be that bad.

‘We know when Casemiro wants to hurt someone and when he doesn’t. Against Southampton, he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he just put his foot five or ten centimetres higher than the ball and it’s really unfair.

‘Nonetheless, he’s an experienced player and will come back stronger. He will learn from his mistakes – if we can call it that.’

Manchester United booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night and now turn their attentions to Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham.

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‘It’s annoying.’