Manchester United are moving to sign the Brazilian winger Antony from Ajax, as per Goal.
The source has confirmed that United’s representatives are in talks with the Eredivisie champions over a potential deal involving the 22-year-old. The Red Devils are expected to pay around £51 million for the Ajax winger.
Antony, 22, has been vital for Ajax in the last two seasons. He has made 79 appearances under Erik ten Hag and has netted 22 times. The think tank at Old Trafford is looking to reunite the new United manager with his former pupil. He could well be the first signing under the ten Hag era.
Goal also claims that the player’s representatives are in Europe to see the talks to completion. United are confident about convincing Antony to join them due to ten Hag’s presence. Moreover, the club is looking to take an advantage of their good relations with Ajax.
If the winger is indeed sold for £51 million, Sao Paulo will stand to make £13 million from the entire operation due to a 20% sell-on clause that was inserted before his arrival in Amsterdam back in 2020.
Our View
Antony is the type of winger that Manchester United currently need and is accustomed to ten Hag’s possession-based system. He is a good passer of the ball and is excellent when it comes to 1v1 situations. A special mention is also required about his explosive pace. The South American could be the injection of energy that is required in United’s frontline.
The Brazilian likes to cut inside and carries a significant goal-scoring threat from outside the box. That said, he is also a good crosser. This makes him largely unpredictable. For a modern-day winger to be successful, being unpredictable is often the key and Antony ticks those boxes.
He will add depth to ten Hag’s frontline, and with Rashford not at his best, Jadon Sancho can play on the left flank with the Ajax winger playing on the right.
The Red Devils are due for a big summer window and they are in need of immediate attacking reinforcements. Throughout the last season their attack lacked creativity and barring Cristiano Ronaldo, no other attacker carried a significant enough goal threat. The arrival of the Ajax winger could change things up for the better, for United and ten Hag.
