By Victor Kanayo
The much-talked about move of top Brazilian, Antony, worth £85.5million to Manchester United have been completed.
The Brazilian winger switched to United Kingdom from Ajax in Netherlands.
The 22-year-old signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford – with the option of another year – after a breakthrough in the protracted negotiations between United and Ajax was made over the weekend.
Ajax held out for more money after rejecting an offer of £76m last Friday with United Manager Erik ten Hag finally getting his man to bolster his attacking options.
Antony had pushed Ajax hard to be released and refused to train with his team-mates. He was left out of their 2-0 win over Utrecht on Sunday.
Ajax had always insisted that Antony would not be sold, but their stance softened over the weekend after United offered in excess of £80m.
Antony then flew in to Manchester to undergo a medical and completed the deal.
He has typically played on the right wing for Ajax, whom he joined from Sao Paulo in a deal worth £18.2m in February 2020.
In total, he scored 24 goals and contributed 22 assists in 82 outings for Ajax, helping them win the last two Dutch league titles and also the 2021 Dutch Cup under Ten Hag’s management.
If Ten Hag plays him in the same positions, Antony will likely replace Anthony Elanga in the current favoured starting line-up, although the United boss may deploy him as a speedy centre forward or on the left side.
United play Leicester City on Thursday night and then host Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League, as they look to build on the back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Southampton that have kick-started their season.
Antony has made nine appearances for Brazil, scoring twice, since he was handed his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela last October.
He will be in contention to make Tite’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar this winter, another incentive to hit the ground running at United.
He has become their fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro, taking United’s spending to over £200m.
