Erik ten Hag believes Antony can fix the missing link in the Manchester United attack after his stunning debut in the 3-1 win against Arsenal.
The £85.5million winger brought some balance to the front line, operating from the right wing and bringing a left-footed option to the side.
He made an immediate impact, scoring in the first half to give United the lead in a pulsating contest against the early pace-setters in the Premier League.
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Bukayo Saka equalised for Arsenal just a couple of minutes after Antony had been withdrawn, but Marcus Rashford scored twice to hand United a fourth successive victory.
Antony only completed his move from Ajax on Thursday, becoming the second most expensive signing in United's history, and Ten Hag's faith in him was clear as he threw him straight into the side despite missing training with Ajax recently, going on strike to force the move to Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old finished cooly to give United the lead and milked his celebration after, but Ten Hag believes his pace, ability to take a man on and his pressing can all be assets to his new team.
The United boss knows he has to bulk up to thrive in the Premier League, but believes he has the potential to live up to his price tag.
"I know what he can be, I talked before the game we needed that in the right wing. With his pace, his dribbles, his pressing capabilities, he’s really good with that, we’ve seen that," said Ten Hag.
"[At] this moment he lacks a little bit of power, he missed some training in pre-season, an injury, then the last 10 days. [But] you can see his potential, he has to work for it to get that, the intensity of the Premier League is going to be high and a challenge for him, but we’ve seen his potential today, it’s great he scored the first goal."
Ten Hag was delighted with United's response to conceding the equaliser, at a time when Arsenal were on top in the game.
"It’s another step, it’s really important, A team that stands with a setback you have to deal with it, we did really well, stayed calm and composed and struck back," he said.
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