PUNDIT SLAMS TWO MAN UTD PLAYERS IN HIS PL FLOP XI AS EX-RED DEVIL MAKES FA CUP FINAL PREDICTION

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has included Man Utd duo Wout Weghorst and Antony in his Premier League Flop of the Season XI.

The Red Devils have had a solid first season under Erik ten Hag with a top-four finish and Carabao Cup triumph in the bag, while they have a chance at further glory when they take on Man City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Ten Hag’s signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have been hailed as contributing factors towards their success this season – but not all new players have had the best seasons.

Weghorst was signed on loan from Burnley in the January transfer window with the Netherlands international brought in to cover for the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo in November.

Speaking on talkSPORT when selecting his Premier League Flop of the Season XI, Agbonlahor said of Weghorst: “Very, very poor signing for Manchester United. 17 appearances, zero goals in the Premier League. Just not good enough.

“You might as well get a headless chicken and put him out there, the way he used to run about, pressing, pressing, pressing, but not an attacking threat.”

Antony has provided some bright moments for Man Utd this season but Agbonlahor doesn’t think he’s showed enough for his huge £81m transfer fee.

On Antony, Agbonlahor added: “The best thing he did this season was that round flick he did. Everyone was buzzing off that, Man United fans, I don’t know why.”

Man Utd beat Man City earlier in the Premier League season with Alejandro Garnacho scoring the winning goal and former defender Mikael Silvestre reckons they can do it again in the FA Cup final over the weekend.

Silvestre told bettingexpert.com: “They did beat Man City at Old Trafford and Man United can take their belief from being able to actually beat them.”

“Man City can make mistakes if you force them to do it. They are not going to hand you the victory but they have to take advantage of the mistakes they will make.”

On the midfield battle, Silvestre added: “I don’t think that Man United should defend deep in the game as it’s not their strategy. Probably, Man City will have the ball the majority of the time but it’s not a problem if they are pressing the midfield and try to avoid De Bruyne to make the key passes.

“Man United has to keep their shape and accept that they won’t have the ball all the time. The key for Man United will be to keep a clean sheet for as long as possible.

“Both Casemiro and Eriksen will be really important for Man United. The battle against Rodri and De Bruyne is massive as they have almost been controlling every single game.

“It’s very important for Man United to take control of the midfield even though it will be extremely tough. They have to limit the impact of Man City’s midfield.”

Naming his favourite, Silvestre continued: “You know who my favourite is (laughs). My favourite is Man United. Seriously, it will be an extremely competitive game. Both teams are in a very good and positive dynamic.

“Man City has another final next week and they are in a good dynamic. It’s the end of the season but all their players are fighting for their spot in their final. The competition in training must be really tough.

“I think both teams are tired both mentally and physically. The downside for Man United is that Martinez and Antony are injured. They are starters and it will be a massive blow for Man United not to have them ready.

“Man City has a full squad available and it will be a very good game. Man United has to finish strong and after securing the Champions League spot the dynamic must be really good.

“I don’t think it will make any difference that Man City has rested a lot of players. Both clubs have a week to prepare and the players are used to that. Hopefully, Man United will be fresh enough and Bruno Fernandes will be important as the leader and the maestro in the midfield.”

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2023-05-31T14:46:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd