While Antony has not scored since finding the back of the net against Everton last month, and missed the last three matches through injury, his start to life at Manchester United has still been positive. The Brazilian winger, who arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax in the summer, bagged three goals in his first three Premier League matches, and has also got supporters off their seats.
His transfer to United took a while to be finalised, but Erik ten Hag wanted to bring his former player to the club, and he managed to do so in the end. The Reds signed the 22-year-old in a deal rising to €100million, with Antony putting pen to paper on a five-year deal. He became the club's second-most expensive signing - arriving with immediate pressure.
For most of the summer, the Reds had been reluctant to meet Ajax's valuation of the player and club figures doubted a deal was doable at the start of July. However, Antony made his intention clear to sign for United and work with Ten Hag again, and the club were impressed with his desire to join them.
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Although he has come under criticism from some pundits and former players - some of whom played for United - the Brazilian has made a good impact overall. His strong showings so far this season saw him included in Tite's squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Former Reds goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has since suggested that United overpaid for the winger, but also insisted that the Reds have a 'potential world star' in Antony. The Dutchman, who worked alongside Ten Hag at Ajax as CEO, admitted the club were eager to keep the 22-year-old for another year, but could not turn down the huge offer from Old Trafford.
"Still young, still potential," van der Sar told The Athletic. "We would have liked to keep him here one year longer — there was not a dire need to sell him, we had money in the bank — but the fee got so high.
"We challenged United to go as far as possible. They have a potential world star."
Despite being somewhat surprised about how high United were willing to go for Antony, Van der Sar clearly saw and appreciated the potential of the entertaining attacker. He is not the first ex-player to speak highly of the Brazil international, and he is unlikely to be the last.
In October, following United's victory over Everton, midfielder Bruno Fernandes spoke about Antony's influence on the team's performances, as well as his potential moving forward. The Portuguese star was keen for his teammate to continue working hard to improve his game, but praised him for his strong showings.
"He’s an amazing player. We knew the qualities that he had, we know that all the players up front have such good qualities and Antony is one of them," Fernandes told club media.
"That’s why the club paid that amount of money for him. So, we are really happy for him, but we want even more from him."
Similarly, Diogo Dalot, speaking in September, suggested that Antony had made a positive impact on Ten Hag's side since his arrival and backed the 22-year-old to be successful.
"I mean I think you could see the impact he had straight away in our team. It will take time for us to adapt to each other, but I can say he adapted really quickly," Dalot said during a press conference.
"He [Antony] is a very good kid, very open to get help and he will adapt quickly. Everyone has welcomed him and I'm sure he will be successful."
It remains to be seen how often the winger will feature at the upcoming World Cup, but even if Antony doesn't play a starring role for Tite's side, the experience will certainly be important in his development. However, Ten Hag will also be hopeful that the Brazilian star returns fresh and raring to go ahead of a hectic period in and around Christmas.
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