"He is much more of a footballer" – Marco van Basten claims 22-year-old Manchester United target is better than 'confused' Antony

Marco van Basten has insisted that Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus is better than Manchester United's big-money summer signing Antony.

Kudus, 22, has emerged as a breakthrough talent due to his excellent outings for Ajax in the ongoing 2022-23 season. Despite operating as a second striker or as a right inside-forward, he has scored 15 goals and contributed three assists in 30 matches across all competitions.

A left-footed technical operator blessed with pace and shooting, the Ghanaian also turned heads at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with two goals from three group-stage games. He even attracted transfer interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking to Ziggo Sport, Van Basten compared Kudus to Antony and claimed that the former is more confident on the ball. He elaborated:

"I find Mohammed Kudus a much better player than Antony. Antony has his skills, but he is confused with the things he is trying to do. Kudus has much better technique and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical."

Heaping praise on the former Nordsjaelland man, Van Basten added:

"Kudus is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team. In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He's more fun to watch on the pitch."

Antony, 22, has established himself as a crucial starter for Manchester United since arriving from Ajax for a whopping £86 million last summer.

So far, the left-footed inside forward has scored just five goals and laid out one assist in 23 games across all competitions for the Red Devils.

Michael Owen sets target for Manchester United forward amid sparkling run of form

Speaking to Premier League Productions, Michael Owen claimed that Marcus Rashford should target scoring 30 goals this season. He said:

"He should be targeting 30 goals this campaign. Six more goals in the form he's in should be realistic. We're only just past halfway, there's still a lot of big games, and Manchester United are still in virtually every competition as well.

"It's scary numbers that we're potentially looking at and we're also looking at a player that we're talking about at world-class level in years to come if he keeps this going."

Rashford, 25, has found a new lease of life under Erik ten Hag, helping his club in their top-four push in the Premier League this campaign. So far, he has scored a staggering 24 goals and contributed nine assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for the Old Trafford outfit.