Antony experienced a dream debut for Manchester United over the weekend after being surprisingly included in the starting line-up by Erik ten Hag against Arsenal.
The 22-year-old had only taken part in two training sessions prior to the 90-minute affair but Ten Hag was confident enough to throw him into the deep end in one of the biggest fixtures in England.
United’s first action of the game was to make sure Antony touched the ball as Lisandro Martinez flung the ball his way from the kick-off.
Antony’s attempted pass with his chest was not his best touch on Sunday but roughly 35 minutes later, he would write himself into the history books after becoming the 21st United player to score on their debut.
Read more: Ten Hag opens up on Dalot and Antony’s partnership after fourth straight win
The Brazil international’s strike set United on their way as they claimed a fourth consecutive win in the Premier League and now, he has broken the goal down, praising his teammates in the process.
“Marcus passed the ball to perfection so when it came [to me], there was not much more I had to do,” Antony told the official Manchester United website.
“I saw the goalkeeper and the ball just came perfectly to me to place it as I did. I was very happy to just go with my instinct. Bruno Fernandes had the ball, I think he shrugged off Gabriel Jesus, and then he touched the ball to Jadon Sancho
“Sancho made the touch to Marcus and I knew he could slip the ball either way. And when Marcus, being a very intelligent player, realised I could make a run, I just took off. He slipped the ball and I took the chance well.”
SN’s verdict…
Antony’s goal will undeniably fill him with confidence ahead of a long season. There were already question marks over him before he had kicked a ball for the Reds.
He has already silenced some of the critics but he will need to keep this form up to win over other doubters. Without a doubt, he has the full backing of the manager after Ten Hag was determined to reunite with him at Old Trafford.
United are in action again on Thursday and Antony could feature against Real Sociedad but after taking centre-stage against Arsenal, it’s more likely that he’s saved for next weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace.