After the first three games of Antony's Manchester United career, many thought Erik ten Hag had finally solved the club's right-wing problem.
Fast forward to Christmas and United fans aren't so sure. Despite scoring three goals in his first three games, the Brazillian has failed to contribute since then and after a poor performance against Nottingham Forest many are wondering whether the club have made a mistake spending £85m on the player.
Many fans are jumping the gun to label him a flop, however some of their concerns are well warranted and the more balanced answer would be to say despite his fee, it's not clear whether he is guaranteed to be the long-term solution off the right.
Also read: Amad has proven United right
So if Antony continues to underperform, who can replace him? Well many United fans are pointing not to a new signing, but to a player that the club signed a few seasons ago, Amad.
Amad has been on loan at Sunderland this season in the Championship after last season he spent time at Rangers where he failed to truly find a place due to joining half way through the campaign. And the Ivorian winger is fast becoming a fan favourite at the Stadium of Light.
With his close control, dribbling ability, awareness and almost surgical passing accuracy he is taking the Championship by storm. He is running Sunderland's attack and driving them forward at every opportunity.
So when he comes back next season, does he have a chance of making the right-wing spot his own?
Like Antony, Amad is left-footed and possesses many of the traits Ten Hag is looking for in a right-winger. He is also showing during his time in the second division that he has the awareness and the decision-making to link up with his team and create space for them to play into.
The big question mark over Amad comes with his physicality, both due to his small stature and whether he has the burst of pace to get away from opponents when he is one on one.
Personally, the physicality of the Premier League is overrated. If you learn to position your body correctly you can make the most out of opponents trying to wrestle the ball off you and win fouls, as Jack Grealish and Wilfred Zaha have shown for years.
So the issue comes down to whether if Amad is running 1v1 can he get past his opponent. This is still up in the air as it seems to be a concern some fans have but at the same time he has not played enough games at the top level to see whether it actually would be a problem.
If it is, however, this is where his close control comes into play; the ball acts like it his glued to his foot meaning he can change his direction on a dime after committing to one move. This will help him beat defenders at a higher level.
Overall it is not clear yet whether Amad or Antony will be the long-term solution, but with his performances on loan Amad is at least putting himself in the conversation.
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