Antony is one of a host of Manchester United players facing uncertain futures following Ruben Amorin’s appointment.
Erik ten Hag is the one who endorsed the Brazilian’s transfer in 2022; he was so adamant about welcoming his former protegee that United ended up forking out a ludicrous £86 million to prise him from Ajax’s tight grasp.
Now that Antony has two full seasons under his belt, it’s safe to say he’s etched his name onto the list of the club’s worst-ever signings pound-for-pound. Bar his debut goal on his maiden appearance against Arsenal in 2022/2023, you’d struggle to pinpoint a game where he actually positively influenced the scoreline or the state of affairs.
About a quarter of the way through last season, when most fans had lost faith in the winger, he retained the faith of Ten Hag – much to supporters’ dismay. The ex-manager continued giving Antony a starting role each week until, eventually, even he was forced to concede defeat.
By the end of 2023/2024 and leading into the beginning of 2024/2025, he had essentially been reduced to a non-starter, with Alejandro Garnacho, who is four years his junior, cementing his place on the right flank instead.
Antony not considering premature United exit
Earlier this week, reports suggested Antony was ready to swallow his pride, accept that his United career just wasn’t meant to be and seek a transfer away from Manchester – largely because he’s made only two Premier League appearances so far this season, totalling only 27 minutes on the turf in the opening 11 matches.
Both outings came under Ten Hag, with Ruud van Nistelrooy choosing to omit the 24-year-old from his team entirely during his four-game interim tenure.
Yet, Antony is preparing to put his struggles behind him and show Ruben Amorim that he can play an integral role in the coming months. Journalist Jorge Nicola spoke to his representative to try and gain some clarity on the forward’s future amidst a flurry of contrasting reports.
“The answer was that Antony has no intention of leaving Manchester United,” Nicola relayed, as cited by Sport Witness.
“The club has just changed coach [to] Ruben Amorim, who was Sporting’s commander, was hired, was presented now at the FIFA date, and from there, a new possibility opens up for Antony to be better used. He has another two and a half years of contract with the English club and intends to continue.”