Manchester United have splashed the cash on a right winger for the second straight summer by agreeing a big-money move to sign Ajax ace Antony.
The Brazilian forward will join former manager Erik ten Hag for a £81.3million fee, rising to £85.5m with contract-related add-ons. The 22-year-old adds another exciting option to Ten Hag's attack amid uncertainty over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
But the arrival of Antony poses questions regarding last summer's marquee signing, Jadon Sancho, who cost United £73million from Borussia Dortmund and has had a promising start to the season under his new manager. Whilst Antony - like Sancho - is flexible playing in various roles, he also tends to operate most effectively on the right-wing.
With a host of options at his disposal, that could see Ten Hag choose between the two players or shift Sancho to the left flank - but former defender Rio Ferdinand reckons Antony's style of play will actually suit Sancho when they are deployed together.
Whilst Antony has caught the eye with his dribbling and skills, which Ferdinand reckons will get fans off their feet, he believes his desire to look for runners and draw defenders in with short passing will suit certain teammates - singling out Sancho as one of those to benefit.
Discussing Antony's arrival, Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel, FIVE : "Antony brings trickery, that unpredictable, Brazilian element and a fantastic technical football player.
"Plays on the right hand side of the front three, cutting in on his left foot, and he's a boxful of tricks, a man who wants to beat people but has an eye for a pass as well.
"He can create, he can slide balls through for attacking players making runs off him, and what he likes to do is tease players towards him, bring the defender towards him which creates space in behind which enables him to find runners with the great vision he has.
"He's not only a great dribbler and a player that takes the ball to defenders and stands them up 1 v 1, he's going to get fans off their seats at Old Trafford I'm sure with the skills, the audacity he plays with.
"He also wants people running off him, and I think he's better when he's playing shorter passes, moving and running, the Ajax way. If Ten Hag can get the attacking formula working like that it'll really suit him, and I think it'll suit someone like Sancho as well.
"He likes to play that short passing and moving game, although I feel Antony might be a little bit more explosive, and he brings that excitement factor that Old Trafford loves in their wingers."
Despite his positive predictions, Ferdinand stressed that Antony is not the "finished product" and "he's going to make mistakes" as he adjusts to the Premier League.
"We haven't brought him at the top, we've brought him where he's doing really well, he's shown great potential and had some great, stand-out performances in the Champions League. He's going to need patience and I think we have to forget the price tag."
