Manchester United are reportedly still keen on bringing in Ajax winger Antony with the Brazilian reportedly not taking part in training on Friday. It is unknown at this stage whether he has an injury or not but De Telegraaf have claimed that Ajax rejected an €80m bid from United for the Brazilian.
This has led to speculation that the player is 'striking' in order to seal a move to the Premier League. However, in an interview with De Telegraaf, Antony explained that he would still be interested in staying in Amsterdam although he could not offer any reassurances to the Ajax supporters.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News in July, the 22-year-old Brazilian is on manager Erik ten Hag's radar this summer, with the Dutchman keen to strengthen his attacking options. United are desperate to draft in a new right-sided winger and Antony is a player they have identified as a solution to their right-wing troubles.
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Antony has excelled in the Dutch league and scored 12 goals and registered ten assists in 32 appearances in all competitions. Included in that tally, he racked up six direct goal contributions in just seven Champions League appearances.
It's quite clear to see why Ten Hag would want to be reunited with the Brazilian winger - he's a player who United have not had the calibre of in a long, long time.
When is the last time we have seen an explosive winger at Old Trafford? One with the true ability to blow you away whilst stretching the opposition's defence with such blistering speed?
Sure, Dan James was quick - maybe the quickest player in the league - but as we've seen in the Premier League, you cannot solely rely on that.
As a winger, speed is essential. It makes defences panic, causing errors and leading to goalscoring opportunities. If you give a defensive backline time to readjust and set themselves, they'll be putting themselves in a much better position to stop the attacks coming their way.
Not to call these three one-dimensional, but players like Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and the aforementioned James come to mind - players that are able to stick around for a long time at the top level because of their pace, but you need to have much more to your game than just that to hit the next level.
Antony has all the capabilities to do just that. His pace is blistering, but there's much more to his game than just his quickness. He's blessed with a wand of a left-foot, silky skills and excellent ball-control. And it is his skills and quick, dancing feet that make him such a joy to watch.
Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are hardly slow, but they simply do not have the pace that Antony possesses. That pace to send a long, through ball to which instantly has the opposition scrambling to readjust - something we've seen Liverpool do with Mo Salah over the last five years.
Antony isn't perfect. He's been rightly criticised for going too far with his trickery, instead of defining his end product.
But as mentioned, that pace gives United a whole new dimension to their attack. One that will open lanes for the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Anthony Martial, and hopefully Cristiano Ronaldo to exploit.
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