Manchester United completed the signing of Antony on transfer deadline day, wrapping up the club’s most expensive deal of the summer.
There will be scrutiny on the £81.3 million fee United have paid for the winger, and the good news is that he is likely to be an immediate hit.
Antony is a captivating player who will get the Old Trafford crowd on their feet. His trickery and unpredictability make him likely to produce highlight-reel worthy clips every single game he plays.
Interest is building for his potential debut against Arsenal this weekend, in a way we haven’t seen with a Manchester United player for a long while.
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Antony is a ‘must watch’ player
Antony is a player you have to keep your eyes on for the full 90 minutes. He has an inventiveness and boldness to his game that you don’t get with other players.
The winger mixes his extravagant style with passion, as he explained in his first interview as a Red Devils player.
He said: “They can expect a lot of desire, dedication and fight from me, I always play with a lot of heart.
“I will always honour the fans with desire, fire in my belly, and full of heart. They can be rest assured that all the effort and challenges for me to be here will have been worth it.”
United are going to get a mesmerising combination of tricks and aggression, under a manager who knows exactly how to use him.
United have not signed many players who generate this level of excitement, through the years.
There is a natural comparison to the trickery of Cristiano Ronaldo, with Antony’s play, when United first signed the Portuguese star in 2003.
But back then Ronaldo was just 18, Antony is four years older, more developed and streetwise, and more ready for first team football.
A better likeness may be the signing of Carlos Tevez in 2007, an attacking player from South America who has shares the fighting spirit Antony possesses.
Tevez was an exciting forward who had proven himself and was ready to take the next step at Manchester United, just like Antony.
There was also huge excitement for the arrival of Anderson from Porto in 2007, even though the Brazilian didn’t quite end up as the player United fans hoped he would become.
Whichever player you feel shares traits with Antony most closely, it’s inescapable that United have not possessed a player like this for a long while. Antony is likely to be a major hit at Old Trafford, and each and every week, we are going to be excited to see what he will do next. That hasn’t been the case with our players for a while.
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