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Antony just scored again for Betis. |
In France, Greenwood scored a pair of goals in Marseille's 6-2 win over Le Havre, his first four in a professional game, while in Spain, Antony - who was a controversial €95m signing - scored twice as Real Betis drew 2-2 with Villarreal.
Two stories, six goals in one night, but both raise the same familiar question: why did such promising talent fail to blossom at Old Trafford? And who is responsible for the waste?
Greenwood – a gem lost because of a little mud
Before being involved in the scandal in 2022, Greenwood was the brightest young player of MU academy. Two-footed, natural finisher, fast and cold like a natural killer, he was once called “the new generation Van Persie”. But the personal scandal caused Greenwood to be eliminated from all plans of the club.
Despite being cleared of the charges, the MU board still chose to remain silent and shun rather than protect a talent they themselves had trained. A year and a half passed in darkness, and when Greenwood found the light when he left Old Trafford, it was in Ligue 1 - where he was trusted and allowed to play as himself.
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Greenwood is shining at Marseille. |
At Marseille, he was no longer a “media problem” but simply a respected striker. Nine goals in eight games was the clearest evidence that his talent had never faded, it was just that Old Trafford was no longer the place for those who needed to be tolerated.
Antony - victim of satire
If Greenwood is the victim of a media crisis, Antony is the product of a misguided recruitment system. MU spent nearly 100 million euros to buy the Brazilian winger at the request of Erik ten Hag.
But in the Premier League, Antony became a symbol of disharmony: criticized for being cumbersome, ineffective and mentally unstable. Under pressure from the media, coach Ten Hag also did not allow Antony to play his own way but was constrained by a rigid tactical formula. Behind that was an impatient environment, where tactics were framed in iron nails and creative players were constrained by a harsh framework.
It was only when he moved to Betis – trusted, free and playing in a less pressured atmosphere – that Antony regained his form. It was not a “revival”, but simply evidence that United no longer knew how to help players develop. The environment at Old Trafford was more of a pressure cooker than a place to nurture talent.
When Old Trafford lost its spirit of tolerance
Manchester United today is no longer the football school of Sir Alex Ferguson – where the coach is the teacher, and the players are the students who are taught to grow up with football. Under the American owners, the club operates like a giant business, treating the coach as a slave manager and the players as slaves to produce the product: goals, views, revenue.
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American bosses only care about money above all else. |
There is no longer any tolerance for youthful mistakes. There is no longer any room for experimentation and creativity. A missed shot, a personal scandal, or just a week of poor form can see a player dropped from the team. In this stifling atmosphere, no one dares to take creative risks, and natural talent is gradually stifled.
Both Greenwood and Antony have proven that the problem is not with them, but with United. When held in an unforgiving system, where the coach is only a manager of results rather than a leader of people, all talents easily wither. No wonder many star players today shake their heads when United call.
Sir Alex once said that his job was to make his players believe they could do more than they thought. Now that belief has disappeared at Old Trafford. And when the brightest gems can only shine elsewhere, it is no longer the failure of a single manager but the tragedy of an entire dynasty that lacks tolerance.
Source: https://znews.vn/gioi-chu-mu-thieu-long-bao-dung-voi-greenwood-va-antony-post1595074.html
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