Ajax put together a video of individual goodbye messages from players who'd worked under Erik ten Hag when his appointment at Manchester United was confirmed and Antony was among those who took part.

"I want to wish you all the best at your new club," said Antony. "I also want to thank you for everything you taught me. I am thankful for all the opportunities and learning every day. Know that I will always stand with you if you need me."

That felt like a promise from Antony to follow his manager to Manchester and he eventually signed for United two months later, with a deal worth £86million being confirmed for the winger on September 1, 2022.

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Ten Hag made it clear when he wanted to sign Antony following his appointment and a deal was struck for a reunion, despite his pricetag increase each month throughout the summer during talks with Ajax.

Antony had contributed just eight goals and four assists in the Eredivisie season. He was not worth £86m and although there was an acceptance at the club they'd overpaid, Ten Hag had insisted he wanted the transfer.

Thankfully, the player made a strong first impression with goals against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton in his first three matches, but the goals dried up and he didn't score another league goal for seven months.

There were doubts about Antony when he signed and they hadn't been eased by the end of the campaign. His performances had been disappointing and fans hoped he would progress in his second year in England.

Antony has continued to regress instead and his recent omissions from the starting teams were overdue because his regular starts had become unjustifiable, even for the manager who signed him for a second time.

Ten Hag's persistence with Antony was contradictory to his approach and it hadn't gone unnoticed in the dressing room, nor among supporters whose patience with the winger had already worn thin.

Although optimistic supporters would say there's still time for Antony to turn his career around at Old Trafford, it's not hyperbolic to suggest he could be regarded as the worst signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

The size of the transfer fee paid for Antony is incompressible and he's struggled to look worth £8m at times, never mind £86m, which means questions must be asked of Ten Hag for insisting the deal was worth it.

Antony is very much Ten Hag's signing and he's proof of why the club's recruitment strategy needs to change because any sensible football director would have pulled the plug when the quoted fee continued to increase.

John Murtough works closely with Ten Hag in the market and while managers should obviously have a large say in which players they sign, they shouldn't be given everything they want in the sweet shop.

Ten Hag has spent over £400m during his reign and he's been backed more than any other United manager in the last decade. The squad has been gradually moulded in his image and many players have Eredivisie pedigree.

There's also been a questionable relationship built with Ten Hag's agent Kees Vos, who has a growing influence in Manchester, having played a role in the signings of Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat in the summer.

Recruitment has continued to be hit and miss since Ten Hag's appointment and players are being signed for the manager instead of the club, which is ultimately why over £1bn has been wasted on transfers since 2013.

United need a best-in-class sporting director to ensure recruitment is aligned. The manager needs to be guided and, fortunately, billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to appoint some of the leading brains in the industry.

Paul Mitchell, Dougie Freedman and Paolo Maldini are in the running to replace Murtough and recruitment should improve with Ratcliffe on board, who is set to officially acquire a minority stake early next week.

It's fair to say Ten Hag's transfer record at United is mixed and it would be interesting to get Ratcliffe's thoughts about the signing of Antony considering he once said spending £50m on Fred was 'dumb money'.

Ten Hag has been given too much influence over transfers and although he should still have a large degree of power with Ratcliffe at the club, working under a top sporting director should guide him more effectively.

United must stop being the dumb money and paying overinflated fees, just like they did with Antony.