Manchester United chiefs accept they paid over the odds for Erik ten Hag's top target last summer: Reports

Manchester United chiefs have accepted that they paid well over the odds to sign Erik ten Hag's priority target Antony in the summer, as reported by ESPN.

Antony was one of the two players to follow Erik ten Hag to Manchester United from Ajax in the summer following the Dutchman's appointment at Old Trafford last year.

However, ESPN claims that the Red Devils chiefs accept that they paid too much for Antony's signature.

The Brazil international has shown glimpses of his undisputed talent since his move to Old Trafford for a fee rising up to £86 million. However, he has not yet made the desired impact at the club if the transfer fee is considered.

There were three main reasons Manchester United decided to splash the cash on Antony even though they felt that the fee was exorbitant.

The first reason was that there weren't too many left-footed right-sided wide attackers available on the market.

Manchester United chiefs were also happy to see Antony's strong desire to move to Old Trafford to reunite with Ten Hag, who signed him at Ajax. The final reason was that the 20-time English champions believed that Antony would have commanded an even bigger fee in the summer of 2023.

Antony has so far managed to find the back of the net five times in 16 games for Ten Hag's side across competitions.

The Brazilian has already faced criticism for some of his performances this season under Erik ten Hag. The 22-year-old has been particularly slammed by fans and pundits for his unnecessary showboating on occasions.

Prior to his move to Old Trafford, Antony featured 82 times for Ajax, scoring 24 goals and providing 22 assists in the process.

The technically gifted wide attacker has been capped 15 times for Brazil till date, scoring twice in the process.

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Manchester United keen on signing £53 million star

Manchester United are reportedly very much keen on signing Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan during the January transfer window.

The Netherlands international is reportedly available for just £53 million but has also attracted interest from other clubs.

Apart from the Red Devils, Chelsea are also interested in the Dutchman's services who impressed for the Netherlands in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored one goal and provided two assists from five appearances at the mega event.

Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in a move for the right wing-back, with Antonio Conte looking to bolster his squad.

The former PSV Eindhoven star has scored twice and provided three assists in 23 games across competitions for Inter Milan this season.