Antony has had a difficult time for Manchester United since his arrival, but he is committed to improving.
Signed for a massive fee of £86m, the Brazilian was always up against it to live up to expectations at the club and he has not done himself any favours.
Manchester United will feel it is a deal they should never have done – at least not for anywhere near the price it cost.
In the 2024/25 season, Antony scored just one goal in the Premier League – three less than his debut season – and he has found himself tumbling down the pecking order from last season.
Amad Diallo is now seen as an important player on the right, and if Antony is to come good – he has a real fight on his hands.
Antony makes a promise to fix his biggest problem
United’s season begins tomorrow and now Antony has had an interview with The Athletic with plenty of interesting quotes to take from it – including his ambitious goals for the 2024/25 season.
But most notably in our view, he has promised to address the biggest issue Manchester United fans have had with his game – that being his non-existent right foot.
“I haven’t been doing this for that long, but I’m doing it a lot more for this season, I have to do it for every game. I came up with the idea of journaling my objectives with my wife.”
Antony admitted to writing down his goals for the year and it was here he declared he will improve his right foot and fans are going to see the improvements.
“It’s there written on paper in my objectives — more work on the right foot, score more goals and assists. I’ll show you these notes one day and you’ll see the results this season.”
He also added what else he uses his journaling to plan for ahead of the season.
“There’s a lot of things I note down in detail: how many shots I should be making in a game, I can’t lose the ball, I need to score goals and create assists, pass and dribble completions, as well as defensive performance. I have a lot of objectives. I’m always reflecting.
- READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25
Antony is on thin ice
For all the promises that Antony is making – ultimately he must do his talking on the pitch and take every opportunity he is given.
The 24-year-old is unlikely to get many starts – but will have to make the most of cup appearances and cameos to force his way back into the starting line-up because he seems to have lost the trust of Erik ten Hag.
Alejandro Garnacho and Amad are both ahead of Antony in the right-wing pecking order and this feels like a do-or-die season for the Ten Hag signing.
If he fails to impress, the chances are that Ineos will be far more proactive in shipping him out next summer – with this summer seeing just a few loan links. Thin ice, but let’s hope he makes good on his promises.
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