“I see a player there” - Sky Sports man convinced Man United “flop” can excel under ETH

Manchester United winger Antony has been backed to succeed under Erik ten Hag by the Sky Sports man Paul Merson following his move to England in the summer.

Has Antony been a good signing for United?

The Brazilian has certainly been put at risk of criticism following his move from Ajax in the summer given the huge price tag that was required to bring him to Old Trafford.

Having signed for in the region of £85m, expectations were always going to be high for the 23-year-old who had enjoyed a great spell in the Eredivisie under Ten hag.

However, some have labelled the Brazilian as a flop following a slow start to life in Manchester which has seen him only make 13 appearances in the league.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson has backed the winger to turn his form around once he settles into life in a new country and has urged fans to give him time:

“As for Antony, he will take time. It will take him at least a season to truly come to his own. You’ve seen Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez take time. I look at Antony and I see a player there. I don’t think he will flop at Manchester United.”

What can Antony bring to United?

Firstly, it is worth noting the Brazilian has missed some games as a result of injuries and has started 12 of his 13 appearances in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

But in those games, he has only been able to return three goals and is yet to pick up his first assist in the league.

That being said, he has begun to show his importance to the side in the Europa League after scoring the decisive winner in the tie against Barcelona last month.

And more recently, he added to his tally in the 4-1 victory against Real Betis which could well have all but booked United a spot in the quarter-finals of European competition.

Having played under Ten hag during his time at Ajax, it is apparent the United manager – who has so far done an exceptional job – is a big fan of the Brazilian winger.

The money involved in bringing Antony to Old Trafford was huge and that should perhaps provide United fans with the confidence that Ten Hag feels he can make the winger a success in England.

However, his three league goals all came before the end of September which is slightly underwhelming but it is still very early in his United career.

His effort in the recent drubbing away to Liverpool has come under some scrutiny and it will be interesting to see if that is the nudge in the right direction which he needed.

He showed on Thursday night that perhaps this is the case but the real test will come in the Premier League where he is open to more scrutiny from the wider coverage.

Source

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