Antony of Ajax is set to move to Manchester United for a club-record fee of €100 million. The Brazilian forced his way out of the club after failing to train for days with his teammates.
Once Antony’s move to Manchester United is sealed, it would mean that United had spent around €253 million on new players this summer. So far, the club has brought in Casemiro, Lisandro Martínez, Tyrell Malacia, and Christian Eriksen (free transfer).
Erik Ten Hag asked for these players as Manchester United look to support the manager to make sure he brings the club back to winning ways.
Also, once Antony’s deal is sealed, it would mean that the English giants have signed two players from Ajax for a fee of €164 million (Lisandro Martínez is United’s first signing from Ajax this summer).
Can Antony Justify His Fees When He Starts Playing for Manchester United?
Last season, the winger scored eight goals and provided four assists in 23 matches for Ajax. The Premier League is a different ball game where defenders show no mercy when tackling.
Antony’s dribbling ability cannot make him a world-class player in the league; he needs to add more to that. It is a league with huge, and fast defenders capable of going toe to toe even if a player has a very high amount of pace.
When Manchester United signed Di Maria from Real Madrid, he was easily bullied by Premier League defenders.
In order to justify his price when he starts playing, Antony needs to be creative, put aside his kind of football in Eredivise, and focus more on creating chances for his teammates.
The English media are not friendly at all when it comes to criticizing foreign players. We saw what happened to Ziyech when he joined Chelsea from Ajax. He couldn’t match the intensity of the league.
Erik Ten Hag wants to quickly implement his style of play and already has his kind of players.
What Antony Will Bring To Manchester United
Manchester United have lacked a quality right winger for quite a while now, and that is Jadon Sancho’s best position. Antony has stunning technical ability.
His ball control and first touch are what one would come to expect of a forward-thinking Brazilian player. Going by his pace and acceleration, Manchester United’s counter attack will be difficult to stop.
He also likes to use tricks, feints and skills to remain in possession of the ball. He gives Manchester United different attacking options. Erik Ten Hag knows how to milk the best from Antony
Why He Might Struggle At The Club Like Jadon Sancho
Antony will struggle like Sancho due to a lack of explosive pace in one on one situations… He is good at combining with teammates but in 1 Vs 1, not too good.
The Brazilian is poor in terms of decision-making in final action and very left-foot dominant. he is very reluctant to use his weaker foot (right foot).
Premier League defenders will target his movement if he enjoys using one leg.
He has a habit of crossing the ball into the 18-yard box countless times, which is bad for him because Manchester United players hardly make any moves into the box; they just want to cut inside and hit the ball.
