Manchester United's ownership problems have been well-documented since the Glazer family bought the club back in 2005.
Despite spending a similar amount of money to the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea over the past decade, the Red Devils have just two EFL Cups, an FA Cup and a Europa League title to show for it.
Both City and Chelsea have splashed huge wads of cash on players over the years but have been able to recuperate funds to bring their net spend down by selling the likes of Cole Palmer for £40m and Mason Mount for £55m, making a profit on certain big-name players.
On the other hand, Man United have made a profit on just one player in the last three years and he is currently outperforming the team's second-most expensive player of all time.
Daniel James' stats at Manchester United
Daniel James arrived at Old Trafford in 2019 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a fee of £15m from Championship outfit Swansea City, having never played a single minute of Premier League football before.
United's record appearance maker Ryan Giggs admitted that Solskjaer sought his advice before giving the green light to sign the rapid winger when he was the head coach of the Welsh national team.
The Wales international spent a little over three seasons at the Theatre of Dreams, making 74 appearances in all competitions and scoring nine goals while registering nine assists. However, by the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, the Reds secured the signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund which was the catalyst behind James' eventual departure to bitter rivals Leeds United for £25m.
The English giants made a £10m profit on the Welshman but given Antony's recent performances in a red shirt on the right wing and Sancho's internal suspension from the first-team, Man United may have made a mistake allowing James to leave.
James vs Antony stats comparison
In 12 appearances this season for Manchester United, Antony has failed to register a single goal or assist, leading to a lot of criticism directed at him. The Athletic journalist Adam Crafton even claimed that James was "more useful than Antony", following United's heavy 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City at the end of October.
While James is not the type of player to set the world alight, he has statistically had a better individual campaign at Elland Road than Antony at Old Trafford, with the Peacocks sitting pretty in third place and pushing for promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League.
The 26-year-old has played a vital role in what has been a solid campaign for the Yorkshire club so far, bagging four goals and four assists in 15 appearances.
James is currently averaging 0.75 goals and assists combined per 90 while Antony has yet to record one goal contribution. Additionally, James has been far more of a threat for Leeds, boasting 3.4 shots per 90 and 1.23 shots on target per 90 to Antony's 2.96 shots per 90 and lowly rate of 0.56 shots on target per 90, according to FBref.
Furthermore, James is attempting fewer take-ons in each game, totalling 2.83 per 90 to Antony's 4.44, yet has a 49.3% success rate to the Brazil international's 29.2%.
While Antony is playing at a higher level than James, there is not much difference between the duo's performances or statistics on the pitch, further highlighting United's flawed recruitment strategy under the Glazers.