Manchester United’s summer signing Antony has addressed his personal goals, as well as the team’s desire to put United “back where it deserves”.
The 22-year-old scored the opening goal in last night’s FA Cup tie between United and Everton at Old Trafford.
It was his fourth goal as a Red and came from an outstanding run of build-up play and an assist from Marcus Rashford. The game ultimately ended 3-1, with Rashford getting his name on the scoresheet and Everton’s Conor Coady netting an own goal after equalising for his side.
Antony has come under fire in recent weeks due to his performances not being up to the standard supporters expected, as it’s clear the talent is there and he was not registering sufficient goal contributions.
However, the Brazilian discussed a personal issue that had been affecting him, which may explain why he has looked less confident on the pitch.
On scoring tonight, he told Fred Caldeira of TNT Sports: “First of all, it’s a feeling of joy. I’m happy to score again and especially at home. I’ve set some goals for me this season and it’s good to score as soon as I’ve started to think about personal goals. But, of course, the most important thing is United’s qualification.
“I also feel relieved as in the last days I had a shock, but I prefer not to comment on what happened. It was a personal matter, really hard, but I’m grateful to God for putting that behind me now, grateful to the club, to the players, to the manager, to everyone that stayed by my side. It’s in the past now, I’m happy to score.”
Antony expresses his commitment to Red Devils
The forward is a player that fans should rally behind and help in building his confidence. He forced the move to United from Ajax as he was so desperate to pull on the red shirt, and has shown nothing but passion in it since.
His targets will also align with the Old Trafford faithful. He said post-match: “I hope to keep going like this because this is a year of a lot of achievements and wins. This is my mind frame now, I’m 100% focused on honouring the fans and the club.”
Íntegra da entrevista com Antony hoje na zona mista – with English(ish) subtitles.
Parte 1: pic.twitter.com/5oHKdwEFXg
— Fred Caldeira (@fredcaldeira) January 7, 2023
“We all know the size of this club and we want to put United back to where it deserves.”
