Former Arsenal player Samir Nasri has defended Manchester United’s decision to pay €95m for Brazilian star Antony.
The winger was acquired from Ajax at the end of the transfer window for a fee of almost three times his market value, according to transfermarkt.com.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/antony/profil/spieler/602105
But speaking to canal+ in France, via Maxifoot and Sport Witness, Nasri insisted United were a good deal.
“I saw it last year in the Champions League,” said the former France international.
He is one of my darlings. I really like the player. He is very technical, always taking risks. I heard a lot that they overpaid for it and that it is a panic buy. For me, that is not the case.
“He is a talented player and he is back with a manager he knows well.
“When you see that Ousmane Dembélé was bought for 120 million euros by Barcelona when he was barely sweeping Rennes and Dortmund, it seems normal to me.
“It is the price and the value of the players today. That’s how it is.”
Antony needed just 35 minutes of his united career to start paying for United’s outlay, scoring the opening goal in his side’s 3-1 win over Arsenal in a well-taken finish.
Coach Erik ten Hag’s decision to put him straight into the side after only two days of training paid off.
At 22, the Brazil international has plenty of time to develop and clearly Ten Hag has seen something in him at Ajax that made him determined to get his man no matter what.
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