"Know that I will always stand with you if you need me," were the words of 22 year-old Brazilian winger Antony in a farewell video composed by Ajax for their departing manager, Erik ten Hag.
And, no doubt, Antony has remained committed to that statement. It took plenty of pushing from both parties throughout this summer's transfer window, but a breakthrough was finally made with the window drawing to a close, and the pair are now reunited at Manchester United.
Admittedly, the whole situation has drawn up some fairly paradoxical reactions. In recent weeks, Antony had been absent from Ajax training, thus not featuring in matches, in attempt to push a move to United through. Rightly so, many have flagged the fact that this behaviour can be viewed as unprofessional.
But, over the years, many players have ultimately refused to train in order to force a transfer, so Antony isn't by any means an odd one out. After all, from a United perspective, it is an indictment of his desire to play for the club; recently, there have even been occasional questions as to whether some players have actually wanted to be at the club. And while Antony latterly seemed uncommitted at Ajax, the extent to which he pushed for a switch to United is an indication of how highly committed he should be at his new club.
Opening another kettle of fish, Antony actually gave an interview to esteemed journalist Fabrizio Romano last week - an attempt to publicly express his will to make the next step in his career. The player revealed the stubborn stance that Ajax held ever since being informed of Antony's desire to leave in February this year. Despite this, and further reiterating his ambition to try a new challenge in June having cut his holiday short to hold discussions, Ajax continued to offer new deals rather than explore a departure.
Obviously giving such an interview can be perceived as disrespectful towards Ajax, though it did appear that Antony had handled himself well until he felt there was no other option than to start making a stand. He had been asking to leave for so many months that it would appear a peak of frustration was reached.
After all, Ten Hag knows Antony well and has given plenty of glowing assessments on the Brazilian. Similarly, Antony holds nothing but high admiration for the man that allowed him to thrive in the Netherlands. "Erik ten Hag is an excellent coach," he told club media. "I've got tremendous respect and affection for him. From the moment I arrived at Ajax he treated me so well and put his faith in me. It's not by chance I had such a great run of form under him for two years. We developed this mutual trust and closeness."
If Ten Hag had any concerns as to Antony's professionalism, he would almost certainly not have pursued him so heavily; as a manager, he is a stickler for players being professional - you only have to look as far as punishments already enforced for lateness in pre-season.
Credit: Manchester United
Debate has also been sparked by the price tag, with United ultimately paying a fee of €95million, which could rise to €100million including add-ons - making Antony the second most expensive signing in their history. But the fact that Ajax's stance for so long was that he was not for sale, even despite Eredivisie-record offers, does suggest his value. Still, when you factor in the signing of Lisandro Martinez, United alone have handed Ajax a turnover over €40million higher than last summer's total.
The way things are in football, the natural course of things is that the price tag will of course become a source for generating pressure. Though Antony isn't someone easily susceptible to pressure. "Real pressure was when I lived in a favela and left for school at nine in the morning not sure whether I would be able to eat again until nine in the night," Antony said, via the BBC. "That's some pressure. Otherwise, we can all adapt."
Antony's upbringing in the favelas of Brazil was certainly a humble one, with his upbringing in terms of football one that involved playing barefoot within his community. Still, he was always fixated on becoming a footballer - testament to the persistence which has somewhat defined his career to date. In all of that, Antony certainly appears a staunch believer of the fact that everything has to be done with enjoyment and received with gratitude, with a clear sense of appreciation for every step of his journey to its present position.
It will be important to judge Antony on what he does rather than simply up against his price tag. Of course, given that he is unproven in a major league, it would appear that this particular acquisition is an overspend by United. But the fee has only risen to such a height as a result of United leaving it too late to complete much of their business, forcing an air of desperation upon them.
It is valid to suggest that United may have been better off delving into other leagues to find an alternative to Antony given that the allocated budget transpired to be so high. But the reality is that many of Europe's top players are settled at clubs in better positions than United.
Albeit, there is a definite possibility that the same sort of money could have been used to purchase a wide player in addition to one or two more desired profiles of player. For example, now beyond the window, United remain in need of another right-back, an additional central midfielder, and a goalkeeper to provide genuine long-term competition for David De Gea.
At least such drastic spending has shown the willingness of the board to back Ten Hag, sanctioning a deal for Antony after the manager clearly voiced his insistence to reacquaint himself with his former Ajax man behind the scenes.
It isn't a sustainable long-term plan, but it has already been seen that players familiar to Ten Hag have shown genuine potential to become revelations. Straight from the Eredivisie, Martinez and Tyrell Malacia have already impressed in the new-look United defence - both hungry players, like Antony, who were very willing to make the switch to Old Trafford.
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Ten Hag has been known to prefer inverted wingers, so a left-footed right-winger was always going to be a necessity for United to sign this summer. So who better than the player that was a regular under him in that role for two league-winning years at Ajax after joining from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2020?
As a player, Antony is very much an entertainer, offering a plethora of skill and flair. He holds a refreshing willingness to take opponents on by using his dynamism to both cut inside and attack to the outside, often effectively causing frustration for opposing sides, drawing a number of fouls. He offers attacking confidence that this United side has very much needed at times recently, with Antony carrying the ball more than the vast majority of wingers - and with pristine control too.
He is also willing to get on the ball and involve himself inside the final third where other players may shy away, proven by the fact that he was inside the top one per cent of wingers in Europe for touches inside the final third per game last term. Antony is certainly a player who likes to actively go in search of gaining possession of the ball, offering himself as a constant target for passers.
Further emphasising why Antony is so greatly to Ten Hag's liking, as per UtdArena, he ranked second in the Eredivisie for progressive actions last season, which shows his strength in passing as well as carrying ability. Displaying his value in link-up play, he ranks highly for both final third passes and passes into the box too; his decision-making is something that has been criticised over time, but that has improved over the last couple of years so that he now knows when to hold the ball and when to offload it. He is generally accurate in his passing too, including when under pressure, which should add final third quality.
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Antony is most definitely someone that wants to make things happen. He has proven that he can be both a goal-scoring and creative winger, placing inside the top one per cent of wingers in Europe (per 90 minutes) for shots, shots on target, goal-creating actions and assists in the previous campaign.
However, his goal involvement output in a less prestigious league has been a means for some questioning. Eight goals and four assists in the Eredivisie last season is hardly a breathtaking return, and it was a slightly concerning drop-off compared to the campaign prior, where he managed nine goals and eight assists having played a very similar amount of minutes.
A possible caveat last term could be the fact that Antony missed eight matches with an ankle injury, though this didn't really impact his minutes compared to the 2020/21 season as he developed into such a mainstay when fit.
Regardless, his output in the Champions League last season caught the eye, with two goals and four assists marking a sizeable contribution across seven appearances. This marked a considerable improvement on one goal in four appearances in the competition in the season prior.
Antony actually commenced this season with a goal and two assists in two matches before being dropped for two games in advance of his move to United. Ultimately, he departs Ajax having scored 24 goals and provided 22 assists in all competitions, which equates to over one contribution in every two matches played given that he made 82 appearances.
In addition to his attacking contributions, Antony offers a certain energy that translates to the defensive side of things. Adept at winning the ball high up the pitch, ranking exceedingly well among wingers for tackles (especially inside the attacking third) and interceptions.
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It will be interesting to see how Antony fits at United. The club did spend big on a supposed right-winger in Jadon Sancho last summer, though he did feature on the left for large parts of his debut season despite looking more natural on the right. There is definitely a likelihood that the signing of Antony may mean Sancho has to settle for a regular place on the left, which already seems to have been simulated in recent matches given that Anthony Elanga has started on the right with Sancho on the opposite flank.
Marcus Rashford has started to show glimpses of re-finding some better form, putting himself similarly in the equation for the wide areas too, though he has also shown there is scope for playing him as the striker in a fluid attack. It has already been shown that Cristiano Ronaldo won't play every match, with Anthony Martial seemingly susceptible to picking up injuries, allowing for plenty of rotation.
Ten Hag has spoken about how fixture congestion this season may be particularly taxing on forwards given the amount of running they are relied upon doing, so high quality depth is crucial.
All in all, despite the price tag being extortionate, Antony fits the profile of winger that Ten Hag favours impeccably, and his familiarity to the manager and known ability to excel in his system will surely help his adaptation. Plus, at only 22 years old, there is still plenty of development to come for a player already proven to possess abundant talent.
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