Antony was a surprise inclusion in Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United ’s £86m Deadline Day signing from Ajax had after all only had a couple of training sessions with his new teammates before the clash with Arsenal.
Despite this, and that he came into the game as United’s second-most expensive signing, there were no signs of pressure or trepidation. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was lively in possession with almost an impudence to his play.
Inside the opening 45 minutes, he’d had three shots on goal - no player on the pitch had attempted more - and one of those proved to be the clinical opening goal in the 34th minute which set Ten Hag's men on their way to a fourth consecutive victory.
It was pretty clear early on that the Brazilian was set to play a starring role on the day. Just seven minutes into the game, he drove at the Arsenal defence and was met with ironic cheers from the visiting support as the 22-year-old looked to have held onto the ball too long, allowing himself to be crowded out by two Arsenal defenders.
Those jeers were countered quickly by the Old Trafford crowd though when he pulled off an exquisite backheel pass between both defenders to find Diogo Dalot in support.
It wasn’t just in possession that Antony played his part, but also out of it too. The work ethic of this United group has been questioned many times in the past and was put under scrutiny in the wake of their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford last month, with Ten Hag now famously making his players run 13.8 km the following day, which was the difference in distance covered between Brentford and Manchester United in the game.
On Sunday though, we saw numerous examples of Antony’s revered work ethic. He pressed coherently with teammates around him, helping to set traps and try to force turnovers, and notably didn’t shirk away from his defensive responsibilities when Arsenal started to dominate the ball midway through the first half.
A firm tackle on Oleksandr Zinchenko deep in his own half which saw United win the resulting throw attracted a raucous cheer from the Old Trafford faithful and notably, he finished the game with no non-defender making more recoveries for United than his total of five.
That figure may have been higher, as could have been his attacking returns on the day, however he made way for Cristiano Ronaldo just before the hour mark, with Ten Hag keen to taper expectations and aware it might still take him time to adjust to the physical intensity of the Premier League.
"He has missed some training, so he lacks a little bit of power but you can see his potential," said the Dutchman. "He is really good with his pace and his dribbles and also his pressing capabilities. The intensity of the Premier League is high and that is going to be a challenge for him but we have seen his potential."
Despite the initial fee paid, Antony was a move that, on paper at least, made a lot of sense. United needed to bring in at least one new top-class forward to bolster their attack this summer, and securing a profile who can thrive playing on the right was a priority.
Antony ticked that box and was fairly unique in that he’s a left-footed attacker, something the Reds didn’t previously have. The only concern was how his abilities would translate into the much tougher environment of England’s top tier.
It’s still early days, but initial evidence based on how he performed for 60 minutes against the side at the top of the table suggests his adaptation could prove to be pretty seamless and it’s more than possible he quickly develops into a key player within this United side.
