New Manchester United forward Antony has trained with his team-mates for the first time, days out from the club’s clash with Arsenal on Sunday.
Antony, 22, joined the club in a deal worth £85.5m from Dutch giants Ajax, reuniting with his former boss Erik ten Hag.
After a saga that appeared to drag on for much of the window, United finally got their man after Ajax relented under growing pressure both from the fee offered and Antony’s insistence he be allowed to depart.
Antony was snapped alongside fellow Brazilians Casemiro and Fred as he trained with his team-mates for the first time
Antony has joined a squad buoyed by three consecutive victories in the league with Ten Hag’s side responding well to having lost their opening two fixtures of the season.
In the pictures, released by United themselves, Antony is shown to be all smiles as he took to the Carrington pitches for the first time alongside his new team-mates.
The forward does not speak English so it was no surprise to see fellow Brazilians Casemiro, also a new arrival this summer, and Fred take him under their wing.
The Brazilian was all smiles as the squad was put through its paces ahead of Arsenal on Sunday
Antony had been training alone during his final weeks in Amsterdam as his relationship with Ajax deteriorated amid disagreements over whether or not he should be allowed to depart.
Naturally, Antony appeared to cut a much happier figure than the one that had been seldom seen during the last days of his time with the Dutch club.
In what appeared to be a light session, Antony joined in with some warm up passing drills before being photographed next to Benni McCarthy who joined the club this summer as part of Ten Hag’s coaching staff.
Ten Hag on Thursday revealed that Antony had trained alone while the squad travelled down to Leicester, before leaving the door slightly ajar for a possible start for the Brazilian on Sunday.
The forward, who departed Ajax for United, was able to do some ball work his new team-mates
‘He did his first training, individually [on Thursday],’ United’s manager said.
‘[Friday] we have a team session and on Saturday we have a team session. I’ll think about it and we’ll take a decision,’ Ten Hag added when asked about whether or not United supporters could expect Antony to start the game.
‘I have seen Arsenal, a tough opponent. They’ve started really well this season and you can see this is a team who are longer together, who have a coach bringing his philosophy to the team, so for us it’s a good test,’ he added.
‘I’m really looking forward to it and we will pick the right XI to start.’
Antony knows Erik ten Hag from their days at Ajax together and as such the first training session was unlikely to have been as alien as it perhaps could have been
Known for his flair on the ball, Antony decided to bring out a few of his tricks when training for the first time with his team-mates
Meanwhile, Antony gave his customary interview to the club’s official media channels, revealing how much it meant to him and his family for him to sign for United.
‘I went through a lot of difficult moments in my life,’ he told United’s website.
‘I know that this will be another challenge. I went through a lot in the past – no football boots, nothing to eat, three or four in the morning bailing water out of my house as it had flooded.
‘They were very difficult times but I went through it all with a smile. Those moments have contributed to everything I’m now experiencing.
Ten Hag has taken United to fifth in the league after an abysmal start – the league leaders up next will provide a stern test of their credentials under the Dutchman
‘My mum was calling me every day, my dad was messaging me, my sister as well: “What’s happening? Has it worked out? Anything wrong?” They seemed more anxious than I was. When I told them the news they cried a lot.
‘I’ve been dreaming about this, I’ve been losing sleep thinking about it. My head and heart were here. Erik [ten Hag] knows, everyone at Manchester United knows about my desire to be here and wear the United shirt.’
United currently sit fifth in the league table after five games having lost their opening two fixtures. Since defeat at Brentford, Ten Hag has arrested what appeared to be a steep decline and has seen his side produce some encouraging performances in the subsequent weeks.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk