For Antony at Manchester United, the past several days have been inconsistent. He was left off the squad over the weekend once more, with Omari Forson, a teenager, being chosen instead. He didn’t enter the game until the very end; Amad came off the bench before him. It was said to be his greatest humiliation yet.
The Brazilian was severely hurt by this rejection, but manager Erik ten Hag chose to support him once the media began to rave about how “unstoppable” Antony was while performing at his best.
He was not genuinely believed by anyone. However, Antony was reinserted into the starting lineup last night and allowed to demonstrate his abilities.
How things went for Antony
Early in the game, Antony tried his luck from the edge of the box following a skillfully executed corner kick, but he struck the bar. Though not quite close enough.
Antony seemed to be having trouble putting this into practice, even though his agent told us he would return a different player.
Commentator Alan Shearer of the BBC praised Antony’s defensive effort rate but chastised him for producing more of the same.
On MUTV, he received appreciation from analyst John Curtis, who noted how well he tracked back and made a workmanlike display to benefit the squad.
Naturally, Manchester United had a decent winger in Dan James a year before his £24 million sale. This is the issue. Was it really necessary to spend £82 million signing another?
Antony fulfilled United’s expectation that he would be much more by creating four goal-scoring opportunities yesterday night. The issue was that there was no one in the center.
His passing was clean, finishing 40 of 42 passes at a 95% clip, but his dribbling was the major problem; he failed to complete all four of his tries.
Rodrygo motivates Anthony
Casemiro, Antony’s Brazilian teammate, scored the game-winning goal to guarantee Manchester United triumphed 1-0 and advanced to the next round.
On Instagram, Antony sent a simple message in response to his performance: “Work hard.”
Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, a fellow Brazilian, sent him a supporting message, saying, “Play hard.”
“At this time, Anthony needs confidence, therefore any help that he receives will be greatly welcomed. He has only managed one goal and one assist this season, both of which came in a previous round matchup against Newport County, a League Two team.
If he puts in a game-winning goal for United against Liverpool in the following round, then everything will be forgotten.
He’s already completed it. This player has scored goals for United in victories over Barcelona, Manchester City, and Arsenal.
Before it’s too late and the season ends, let’s see if he can get back to his previous level.