On Sunday, Ajax were involved in a dramatic 3-2 win over Feyenoord, with Liverpool target Antony the centre of attention in Amsterdam.
However, René van der Gijp believes the Reds won’t have enjoyed seeing what the Brazilian did in the dying minutes.
What’s the story?
Well, Antony – who 90min claimed Liverpool want – actually scored the winning goal in the 86th minute, helping Ajax to all three points having been 2-1 down.
To celebrate, the 22-year-old – who Ajax signed for €15.5m (£13m) from Sao Paulo – whipped his shirt off, earning a yellow card in doing so.
However, yellow turned to red just minutes later, as Antony received a second booking and was dismissed in the 95th minute.
Speaking about the incident, Van der Gijp told Vandaag Inside: “Suppose we are in the stands together as a scout for Manchester City or Liverpool, and we are looking at Antony, what do you think we would say when we come back on Monday?
“We will not take that. You don’t see a Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane or Mohamed Salah doing this? Then you can say: he is young, but it can also get crazier.”
In our view, that won’t concern Jürgen Klopp.
The likes of Salah and Roberto Firmino have taken their shirts off before in celebration, and the German hasn’t expressed an issue with that.
In Antony’s case, the only problem was that he wasn’t careful after doing so, although that professionalism will surely come – after all, he’s only 22.
Liverpool should shelve Antony interest
In our view, Liverpool should continue to monitor the South American, but there’s no need to make a move for him this summer.
As things stand, Klopp can call upon Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota in attack, so we’re not sure where Antony would fit.
Of course, if Salah decides not to sign a new contract and departs Anfield, then perhaps a move should be explored.
In 33 appearances this season, the Ajax No.11 has scored 12 goals while also providing ten assists – he’s clearly a talented forward.
Despite his obvious ability, we’re not sure Antony is at the level required to be starting ahead of the aforementioned forwards, however.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
