It hasn’t exactly been the second season Antony would have dreamed of at Manchester United.
Signed by Erik ten Hag from Ajax for a whopping £80m at the end of last summer, many Red Devils fans were excited for the second campaign of the Brazilian, with players usually kicking on after adapting to the boisterous nature of the Premier League.
However, remarkably Antony’s trajectory appeared to only decline. The right-winger only very recently scored his first PL goal of the season, in what has been a miserable year for the 24-year-old.
There is undeniable talent there, but thus far it just hasn’t blossomed during his tenure in Manchester. Still, at least he’s topping English top-flight statistics in some areas.
Antony tops Premier League charts for the season
Despite Antony’s obvious flaws as a winger, he has also proven himself useful in certain scenarios. A lot can be said about the Brazil international, but one thing that can’t be understated is his work ethic.
Every time Antony does enter the frame, he runs his socks off. It’s a quality that attracted Ten Hag to spending frivolously on him, having known this all too well from his time in the Eredivisie.
The way the Dutchman likes to play is pressing from the front, and Antony does fit this bill perfectly, as a stat suggests.
He actually topped the entirety of the Premier League rankings over the 23/24 season for winning possession in the final third per 90.
This shows he is the high-pressing forward Ten Hag paid big bucks for – he’s just failing from an end product side of things.
Is there still hope for Antony at Manchester United?
If Erik ten Hag is to be kept around Carrington next season, there is no saying Antony can’t still be a vital part of the Dutchman’s plans. Things just need to click.
Once the Manchester United manager gets the rest of his team playing the way he would like, Antony may very well follow suit.
In his Ajax side, the winger was a menace, who ridiculed defenders and had an exuberance of confidence. He’s a shadow of the player he was, and he needs to work hard on the training pitch on his flaws, otherwise, his career at Old Trafford could be over before it ever really started.