Manchester United have agreed a €100m (£84m) deal with Ajax for Brazilian winger, Antony.
Last week, the Dutch club rejected an offer of €90m — United’s 3rd bid for the 22-year-old — but talks continued in recent days and the Red Devils finally made a breakthrough on Sunday.
Antony becomes United’s 4th summer signing (and their 2nd from Ajax) as Erik Ten Hag looks to gradually rebuild the squad.
In this post, FootballOrbit brings you what you need to know about the latest arrival at Old Trafford.
Career
He was born as Antony Matheus dos Santos on the 24th of February 2000 in Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil.
São Paulo
Antony started his playing career in his home town of São Paulo by joining the youth academy of São Paulo FC in 2010.
He was part of the São Paulo youth team that won the 2018 J League Challenge tournament in Japan, where he was named as the Best Player of the Tournament.
In September 2018, an 18-year-old Antony got promoted to the São Paulo senior team and signed his first professional contract — a 5-year deal till September 2023.
He made his first-team debut the following November, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Grêmio.
The youngster scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists in 52 appearances for São Paulo.
Ajax
Antony joined Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax on the 23rd of February 2020, signing a 5-year deal worth an initial £13m — which could potentially rise to £18.2m.
He scored his first goal for Ajax in September 2020, netting in a 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam.
Antony scored his first ever UEFA Champions League goal in a 2-1 victory over Midtjylland in November.
2021/22
In the 2021/22 season, Antony caught the eye of several top European clubs following a string of impressive performances for Ajax, especially in the UEFA Champions League.
At the end of the season, he had 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 appearances in all competitions.
In total, Antony scored 25 goals and provided 22 assists in 82 appearances during his time at Ajax.
He also won two Eredivisie league titles (2020/21 & 2021/22) and the KNVB Cup in 2020/21.
Manchester United
Antony joined English Premier League giants Manchester United in a deal worth an initial €95m (£80m/$93m) plus €5m (£4m/$5m) in bonuses — totalling €100m.
The fee includes a solidarity payment for Antony’s previous club, Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian will sign a five(5) year contract at Old Trafford, with the option for a further year.
The winger successfully worked with United’s new manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax.
He has been linked with a move to Man Utd ever since ten Hag was appointed as the club’s new manager. The manager never hid his interest in reuniting with Antony at Old Trafford.
Antony would become Manchester United’s joint-second most expensive signing alongside defender Harry Maguire — the £89m paid for Paul Pogba remains the club’s record transfer.
He would also become the joint-fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history, behind Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Jack Grealish.
The €100m is also the record largest fee in Dutch football history.
Antony would become Man United’s 5th signing this summer, following the arrivals of his former Ajax team-mate Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro from Real Madrid, Christian Eriksen on a free transfer and Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.
International career
Antony was part of the Brazilian U-23 team that won the 2020 Summer Olympics.
He started in all of Brazil’s six games at the tournament and provided the assist for the winning goal in the final.
He scored 6 goals in 22 games for the U-23 side.
Antony made his international debut for Brazil’s senior team in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on the 7th of October 2021.
He came on as a substitute and scored a goal on his debut as Brazil won 3-1.
He has two goals in 9 senior appearances for the Selecao.
Style of play
Antony is a left-footed winger who likes cutting in off the right flank. He has exceptional pace, technique, dribbling skills, ability to create chances from nothing and a strong willingness to work hard for the team.
He primarily played off the right in a 4-3-3 for Erik ten Hag’s excellent Ajax side and the manager is expected to deploy him in the same role at Old Trafford.
Earlier in the current transfer window, FootballOrbit had included Antony in its list of 25 possible transfers that may happen this summer
Is Antony the missing piece of the puzzle for ten Hag at Manchester United? Do let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
