Antony has not met expectations compared to the £ 85.51 million transfer fee Man Utd spent last summer to recruit him from Ajax. However, coach Ten Hag still believes and defends the Brazilian midfielder.
Antony was erratic in his first season at Old Trafford. Despite his proven potential, the Brazilian midfielder has only scored three goals in 17 Premier League appearances .
The 23-year-old proved to be more effective in cup competitions, scoring twice to help Man Utd progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and one goal to join the “Red Devils” in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The £ 85.51 million signing has scored seven goals for the “Red Devils” this season, but his last Premier League goal was against Everton in October last year.
Antony excelled when he faced left-back Ben Godfrey in Man Utd’s 2-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford this past weekend. The Brazilian midfielder made Godfrey miserable for half an hour and the away team player was substituted right after the break.
However, Antony also made way for Anthony Martial in the 60th minute and the Brazilian did not seem pleased with him being withdrawn after just an hour of play, like in Man Utd’s 0-1 loss to Newcastle back in the day. first month.
Some pundits question Antony’s ability to play this season, but Ten Hag says he is “not interested” and insists in favor of the young Brazilian star becoming a more stable player for ” Red Devil”.
“Of course, we expect from frontline players that they are not only a threat but also a pressuring influence around the bottom third of the field,” said Ten Hag. “But Antony is a young player.”
“When you look at Antony’s record, you mention that he didn’t score in the Premier League, but he scored a really important goal against Betis. He scored against Barcelona and the team. win, you can’t say it’s not the big games. He also scores in cup games. If you can do it in such games, you can do it in too. Premier League games, so I’m not worried about Antony.”
“But like many other players, he has to come forward. We have to win games together. That’s my experience with Antony. He’s a fighter who loves challenges and together. The whole team won. That’s why he got to play for Selecao (Brazil’s national team) and also why he was often chosen to start.”
“Antony is still a very young player, he can finish opponents off. We saw on Saturday the Everton manager put another player on after the break because he paralyzed the backside. their left wing. Antony can do that.”
