After Manchester United's summer acquisition Antony narrowly avoided being sent off for "lashing out" at Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister during the two sides' Premier League matchup on Thursday, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor called the winger a "bit of an idiot."
With 20 minutes remaining in the game, the attacker, who cost manager Erik ten Hag £85 million and was acquired from his former club Ajax, nearly escaped receiving a red card after striking out at the World Cup winner.
Mac Allister was in obvious discomfort as he lay on the ground, and Lewis Dunk, another member of his team, got into a fight with the Brazil international that resulted in both of them receiving bookings from the referee, Andre Marriner.
In his analysis of the game, pundit Alan Smith referred to the player as a "silly boy" and suggested the 23-year-old had only swerved a red because of the height of his hack at Mac Allister's thigh.
After the game, Peter Schmeichel told the forward that he should "behave himself" moving forward because he had been a "lucky, lucky boy" to be allowed to stay on the field.
Agbonlahor added his voice to the controversy by giving his manager advice to take the player under control in a statement to Football Insider.
To be honest, I believe he's a little bit of an idiot," the pundit remarked. "That tackle on Mac Allister wasn't necessary, and now he's trying to go chest to chest with a giant in Lewis Dunk." He would have been destroyed.
Is Antony upset with his own performance and acting out as a result?
He is unable to take a player on, outmuscle a man, or get a shot on goal. He must be disappointed in his own performances this year.
Since being transferred from the Eredivisie last year, Antony has had trouble putting up regular performances and has faced criticism for purportedly "showboating" from a number of critics.
The Brazilian has eight goals and just two assists across all competitions, and Agbonlahor thinks that the player's volatile temper may be keeping him back.
Ten Hag needs to discuss it with him. He needs to calm down or he'll get sent off, the announcer continued.
He must strive to become the £86 million player for whom he was hired.
Ten Hag, on the other hand, has essentially endorsed high drama from one of his most explosive players.
Ten Hag asserted that "passion is a strength" in his post-game speech.
Of course, you have to regulate it up until a certain point, the Dutchman continued. "To succeed in the game, you must have passion and desire.
He is really ambitious, and it is very powerful with him. Don't go overboard; instead, concentrate on your game and what it needs.
He's a fantastic player if he does it, they say. I believe that he has clearly and obviously improved.
Mac Allister once again found himself in the middle of things, converting a penalty late into extra time to give the Seagulls the victory, and United lost to Brighton in the end.
Ten Hag's team may be dangerously close to missing out on Champions League football next season after the Red Devils' subsequent loss to West Ham on Sunday at the London Stadium.
United, who is now fourth in the Premier League standings, could yet be the target of a sneak attack from former rivals Liverpool.
In recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp's team seems to have managed to stabilize their up-and-down season; they are currently only one point behind United in fifth place.
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