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Former West Ham United midfielder Nigel Reo-Cocker has become the latest pundit in line to provide his thoughts on Manchester United forward Antony's showboating against Sheriff FC.
Manchester United booked their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League by beating Sheriff on Thursday (October 27). They handed the Moldovan outfit a 3-0 thrashing at Old Trafford.
Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net for the hosts. On what was a positive night for the Red Devils, it was Antony who grabbed the headlines though.
The Brazilian attempted his trademark spin in the 21st minute of the match against Sheriff. He then attempted to play fellow countryman Casemiro through, but saw the ball go out for a goal kick.
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Several pundits, including Paul Scholes and Robbie Savage, have since slammed Antony for his actions. Manchester legend Scholes notably insisted that the forward needs showboating 'knocked out of him'.
Reo-Cocker has now claimed that Antony needs to be prepared to handle the 'repercussions' if he intends to showboat. The former West Ham midfielder also admitted that he we would have flattened the 22-year-old if he was on the pitch when he did it. He said on BBC Radio 5 Live:
"If he was playing against me and you do things like that, you have got to be able to handle the repercussions. I would have absolutely flattened Antony and said to him 'I dare you to do it again'."
However, Reo-Cocker went on to point out how players like Antony are no longer allowed to express themselves in football. He added:
"It looks silly if you do it without an end product. Some players are programmed so much to play in a system, they are not given any freedom to express themselves."
"It's because we haven't seen players express themselves like Antony has, it's such a shock to people."
What has Manchester United star Antony said about the criticism?
A lot has been said about Antony's showboating against Sheriff on Thursday, with several people criticizing him. However, the Brazilian has since hit back at his criticism. He wrote:
"We are known for our art and I won't stop doing what got me where I am!"
Manchester United acquired Antony's services from Ajax on a £85 million deal in the summer. The forward has since scored three goals in six Premier League appearances for them.
