Louis Saha has backed Antony to justify his £86million price-tag at Manchester United as confidence grows into next season.
Antony followed Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford from Ajax towards the end of last summer, penning a five-year deal as one of the club's most expensive signings. The Brazilian scored a wonderful goal on his debut against Arsenal but has found the net just twice between then and the new year.
Goals in Europe have been followed up by a string of fine performances in recent weeks, particularly against Nottingham Forest where he bagged a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win at the City Ground. And Saha believes that confidence will grow and the price-tag will be justified.
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"Antony is already a very good player, people forget the Premier League is the toughest to adapt to," Saha told DAZN Bet. "People think physically, technically and because of the price tag, he could do better. But technically and physically he’s very strong. He defends when we need it, he goes both ways.
"This is normal progress. You’re going to get more confidence, he will understand opposition defences better. You connect all those things and I think he’ll have a great season next campaign. People are demanding more because it’s Man Utd and the price tag.
"I don’t totally agree with this, I think he’s showed he’s capable of playing a lot of games. He’s a strong runner, even if he’s not the biggest. I think he’s done well but he can show more, he can improve his diversity in the game. He can improve the way he surprises people, and work on his finishes in game. I think he’s a great player."
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