Manchester United have been linked with a move for Ajax winger Antony recently and the Brazilian could be a huge upgrade on Marcus Rashford in Erik ten Hag’s side next season.
According to Goal, the Red Devils are ramping up their interest in the 22-year-old and have already held talks with the Eredivisie side ahead of a proposed transfer.
The report has suggested that United would have to pay £51m to prise him away from the Dutch champions, although ten Hag will surely be keen to reunite with the winger after his superb performances helped Ajax to the title in his last season as manager of the club.
Antony contributed 12 goals and eight assists in all competitions, with his performances in the Eredivisie seeing him average a superb 7.47 rating from WhoScored.
This was enough to rank him as the fifth-best performer in ten Hag’s side last season, so it is no surprise that the Dutch manager reportedly wants to bring him to Old Trafford.
Who would you rather have at United?
Antony
Rashford
Speaking last season, ten Hag said of Antony:
“From a sporting point of view, it is clear that he is an incredible talent. He is going through an incredibly beautiful development.
“Especially if we perform in the Champions League, then it is clear that he will come into the spotlight and be interesting for a lot of clubs.”
If he were to make the switch this summer, he could prove to be a big upgrade on Marcus Rashford next season, after the England international endured arguably the worst campaign of his career.
The 24-year-old would make 25 appearances in the top-flight, contributing just four goals and two assists in that time, with WhoScored awarding him a shocking average rating of 6.35, the worst of any United player to start at least ten games.
Rashford averaged a paltry 0.9 shots and 0.4 key passes per game in the Premier League last season, while Antony averaged 3.4 shots per and 1.9 key passes per game, which emphasises how much he outperformed the Englishman.
Of course, the Premier League is a higher standard than the Eredivisie, but at 22 Antony is already demonstrating excellent attacking returns and is exactly the type of player ten Hag needs if United are to progress next season.
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