Ajax technical director Gerry Hamstra has labelled the timing of Antony’s move to Manchester United as ‘annoying’ particularly as they want to keep the player.
The Brazilian completed a €95m move to Manchester United earlier this week, finally securing his move to Old Trafford and reunion with Erik ten Hag following months of speculation about his future.
Numerous reports throughout the summer had linked him with Manchester United but Ajax proved reluctant to let him go amid another summer of high-profile departures at the club.
That saw Manchester United turn away and do other business before returning late in the window with a big-money offer to get their man.
Ajax again proved determined to keep their man but eventually relented when Antony went on strike to force through the move.
That’s seen him heavily criticised in the Netherlands, with fans, pundits and players alike unimpressed by the example he and other set.
For Hamstra, though, it was the timing of the transfer that was the most frustrating part, as it left him and his team scrambling to find a replacement.
“We as Ajax are not at the top of the food chain, the English clubs are,” he told ESPN, relayed by NU.
“And then this can happen. The transfer period is open for three months, but at the end it goes wild. It was reasonably quiet with us, until the transfer of Antony.
“We wanted to keep him, because we have ambition. We want to become champions and go far in the Champions League.”
“The timing of that transfer was annoying. It suddenly became hectic and the KNVB did not help by closing the transfer market for Dutch clubs a day earlier than abroad.
“There was a lot of unrest. And as I said, that is something we are going to evaluate well.”
