Marco van Basten was full of praise for Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus, claiming that the Ghanaian is a superior player to Antony, who left the Dutch side for Manchester United last summer in an £85.5million switch.
The Ajax and Holland legend claimed that Kudus is ‘much better’ than the Brazilian, who he described as ‘confused’.
The Ghanaian notably paid tribute to compatriot Christian Atsu, after it was confirmed that the former Newcastle midfielder had passed away in the recent earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria.
Antony’s big-money move to the Premier League has not yet resulted in a goal tally to match the mammoth fee paid for him, with only three goals and no assists in the league.
He has also been criticised for this decision-making at times, notably attempting outlandish skills at crucial moments for the Red Devils, with differing levels of success.
But despite the camera-grabbing displays of flair that the Brazilian is capable of, Van Basten argued that it is Kudus who is the more entertaining player.
‘I find Mohammed Kudus a much better football player than Antony,’ Van Basten told Ziggo Sport.
‘Antony has his skills, but he is confused with the things he is trying to do!
‘Kudus has much better technique and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical.
‘He is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team.
‘In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He’s more fun to watch play.’
Where Antony has found it tough to adapt to life in the Premier League, Kudus has continued to thrive in Holland, and has had a fruitful campaign for the struggling side with 15 goals and three assists in 30 appearances.
However, despite starring in Ajax’s torrid Champions League campaign with six goal contributions in as many games, he found it hard to get regular football under recently-sacked Alfred Schreuder.
But the arrival of Jonny Heitinga has seen him flourish once more with four goals and an assist in his last five outings.
And Van Basten was not the only one to sing the Ghana star’s praises, with fellow pundit Jan Mulder extolling his ‘class’ on the pitch.
‘Kudus is Ajax’s best player. What a class player,’ the ex-Holland international added.
‘Why didn’t he always play under Schreuder? He often sat on the bench! You let him play three or four games in a row and you immediately see his class.’
