By Betsefy
Manchester United confirmed Antony‘s arrival on transfer deadline day, with the Brazil international making the move to Old Trafford in a deal worth £85.5m.
The 22-year-old has already trained with his new teammates and could make his debut for the 20-time English champions in Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.
Antony is one of six new arrivals at Man United, with Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Martin Dubravka also moving to Old Trafford during the summer market.
Head coach Erik ten Hag now has big decisions to make when it comes to team selection, and here Sports Mole identifies what could be the club’s regular first-choice XI during the 2022-23 campaign.
Following a disastrous start to the season – shipping six goals in defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford – Man United have now only conceded once in their last three Premier League games, keeping successive clean sheets against Southampton and Leicester City.
David de Gea has had to make some smart saves during the three recent wins, but the four ahead of him have been hugely impressive, with Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Martinez and Malacia establishing themselves in the first XI with some excellent performances.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw can no longer be considered as guaranteed starters for the Red Devils, with Malacia starring at left-back, and Varane thriving alongside new signing Martinez in the middle.
Further forward, Casemiro will surely soon earn a start, with the Brazilian’s opening two appearances for his new club coming off the bench against Southampton and Leicester.
Scott McTominay has been impressive in the team’s last three games, but the Scot is likely to be the player to drop out, with Eriksen making a strong start to his Man United career.
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Bruno Fernandes has also thrived sporting the captain’s armband, with the Portugal international putting in some excellent performances since the 4-0 defeat at Brentford.
Jadon Sancho, who has already scored twice in the league this term, could play off the left for the Red Devils this season, with Cristiano Ronaldo battling Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for the centre-forward spot.
Ronaldo is now definitely staying until at least January, and he will surely work his way into the starting XI sooner rather than later, with his performance off the bench against Leicester on Thursday potentially earning him a start against Arsenal.
Antony has been signed to fill the right-sided attacking role at Man United, and he will be hoping to build on the 24 goals and 22 assists that he managed in 82 appearances for Ajax.
There will be immediate pressure on the Brazilian to perform, but he now has the platform that he always wanted, and it will be fascinating to see how he develops at Old Trafford in the coming years.
