There’s confidence at Manchester United right now because Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already started making adjustments behind the scenes.

The Red Devils’ most recent 2-2 draw with the Spurs, meanwhile, served as a stark reminder that they are still far from their best.

Erik ten Hag will thus be under pressure to add at least one new player to Old Trafford in January, with the right flank position being noted as a need for reinforcement.

The right winger Man Utd is trying to find
A recent rumour from Football Transfers claims that Marcus Edwards of Sporting is a special favourite of INEOS, United’s new ownership group.

Vitoria-Orta – Edwards Sporting Leeds Transfer
The Red Devils have made the English player their goal, believing they can sign him for about £30 million.

If a trade is made, it’s more likely to happen in the summer than in January because of United’s financial fair play regulations.

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How Edwards compares to Antony The £82 million winger has not lived up to his high price tag during his unimpressive spell at Manchester United.

The Brazilian has been so bad that he hasn’t contributed any goals this season and has had more yellow cards than goals throughout his stay in England.

Premier League: Sheffield, Manchester United, Ten Hag, Anthony Bruno Fernandes
Owing to his lacklustre performances on the pitch, it’s been rumoured that United is willing to let Antony leave in the summer in order to bolster their offence, which has scored 1.14 goals per game on average in the Premier League.

Edwards is a player who might be bought to help with those offensive problems. Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig claims that Edwards has improved into a “wonderful” player since relocating to Portugal.

Marcus Edwards (89) leads all players in Liga NOS in completed dribbles this season. 21 years old. Fantastic athlete. An absolute delight to witness. tweet.com/f7WGiT7jSC — Jacek Kulig, the Football Talent Scout (@FTalentScout) July 26, 2020
This season, the winger has made 26 appearances for Sporting, contributing 11 goals and assisting his team’s push for Liga Portugal. However, based on data from their respective leagues, how does the 25-year-old stack up to Antony?

A player’s goals and assists are the first obvious distinction that eventually defines their success in the modern game. With his dismal record, Antony poses little threat in the latter third, but Edwards’ inventiveness and scoring ability may cause the opposition problems.

Antony Stats v. Edwards

Statistics (per 90)

Edwards

Anthony

Objectives

0.34

0.00

Helps

0.25

0.00

Anticipated aids (xA)

0.40

0.14

Pass keys

3.56

1.59

Shot-producing manoeuvres

6.01

3.47

Effective attacks

2.12

1.49

carries progressive

5.67

3.08

Statistics through FBref

Both wingers are left-footed, but unlike Antony, who Paul Scholes has called a “one-trick pony,” Edwards can utilise his right foot to get to the byline. In terms of inventiveness, the former Spurs player also completely outshines Antony, as seen by his crucial passes, anticipated assists, and shot-creating moves.

The Sporting star is also a straight winger who enjoys taking on defenders and slicing through opposition defences with his quickness. Edwards would be deadly on the break because he is a great ball carrier as well. However, Antony plays backwards because he is far too cautious and finds it difficult to defeat a player because of his lack of quickness.

Sporting Leeds United Premier League Orta-Bielsa Marcus Edwards
All things considered, it’s evident that Edwards is a significant improvement over Antony, and Ten Hag’s team would be far more threatening in the last third if they were to get the Englishman.