Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that Antony will feature from the right wing once he is available to play for the club.
The Red Devils confirmed a transfer agreement for the Brazilian earlier this week. They have paid €95 million up front to sign the talented winger.
Antony has already undergone his medical with the club, but his debut won’t happen tonight as he has yet to receive his UK visa and work permit.
The 22-year-old could make his maiden club appearance against Arsenal on Sunday and before that, Ten Hag has hinted over where he could feature.
Speaking ahead of the Leicester City game, Ten Hag praised the fighting spirit of Antony and acknowledged that he would play on the right.
He said via The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell: “He’s one with the right fighting spirit.”
When asked about playing from the right, he added: “If it happens [when he is officially presented as a United player] – yes.”
It is well known that Antony is a left-footed right winger. The Brazil international almost exclusively played from the position during his time at Ajax and Sao Paulo.
Hence, there are no surprises where Ten Hag could play him at United. The Dutch tactician worked with Antony for two seasons at Ajax and should know his strengths.
The winger bagged an impressive 46 goal contributions from 82 appearances for Ajax, and the onus is now on replicating those kind of statistics in the Premier League.
Antony will face a more difficult challenge with the added intensity of the league, but familiarity with Ten Hag’s playing style is obviously a big advantage for him going forward.
Any other signing may require several training sessions to adapt, but Antony could make an instant impact. Still, Ten Hag will want to ease him into the club’s proceedings.
We saw Casemiro start on the bench against Southampton. Ten Hag wanted him to assess the game from the dugout and may do something similar with Antony in the short-term.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
