While the resentment towards Antony may be softening, the now Manchester United star still appears a divisive topic in the Ajax dressing room.
The Brazilian was one of two players to follow Erik ten Hag from Amsterdam to Old Trafford following his appointment as Red Devils boss at the start of the summer. The Dutch champions had hoped to keep the majority of their title-winning side together, but were left disappointed following a raft of high-profile exits.
Antony’s move was the biggest of all, signing for United in a deal worth a whopping £85million. Ten Hag had chased the forward for much of the window, but the pursuit had looked like it could end in frustration, until the player himself intervened.
The 22-year-old skipped Ajax training before going public with his desire to leave, pleading with the club’s hierarchy to allow him to leave. That left a sour taste in the mouth of manager Alfred Schreuder, who criticised Antony for his conduct.
Schreuder has since rowed back on those comments somewhat, admitting that the situation played out perfectly for Antony. He told TNT Sports this week: “That was, for me, disappointing, the way it happened. I spoke about it. But of course he can make this transfer. It’s also the philosophy of Ajax, they play two or three years good and they can go.
“So for him it’s a perfect next step, it can be very good. But the moment in that window was, for us, not good."
However, the mere mention of his name still proved to elicit an awkward response from two of his former teammates - and two players who could have joined him at United. Jurrien Timber and Brian Brobbey were both heavily touted to reunite with Ten Hag, only to ultimately remain with the Eredivisie champions.
The duo, along with summer signings Calvin Bassey and Steven Bergwijn were invited to guess which FIFA 23 card belonged to which Ajax player. And when presented with a card that is now gold on the latest version of the game, ex-Rangers defender Bassey concluded it could belong to only one person.
Bassey shouted “Antony!” with the three players alongside him immediately offering shifty glances behind the camera. Brobbey went as far as dismissively waving his hand at Bassey - as if to hint not to mention Antony’s name.
Antony has already netted his first United goal in the win over Arsenal and Schreuder has insisted there are no lingering hard feelings, with Ajax’s reputation for developing players firmly in tact.
“Of course, I talked a lot with him," the Ajax boss added. "He’s a great guy, he’s a great person. And of course he told me also that he wanted to leave. Because he comes from Brazil to Ajax to make a next step.
“And that’s also what we want. We also want players to come sometimes to take a next step. That’s good for both. But the timing was, for us, not perfect.”
