Manchester United have agreed an £85m deal with Ajax for winger Antony. United will pay a guaranteed £80.75m and another £4.25m in add-ons for the Brazilian winger, who is expected in Manchester on Monday to have a medical.
The Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has all the young players he wants this summer with Antony around. The question is how he will select the players to create the strongest group.
The goalkeeper for United will continue to be David De Gea. Ten Hag may choose Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, and Tyrell Malacia as his four defenders. In United’s previous two wins, each of them made an impression in a different way.
Casemiro came off the bench to debut with Southampton. But going forward, he will score a main kick. It is obvious that Casemiro is United’s top defensive midfielder.
Christian Eriksen has performed well in recent weeks and can continue to be trusted. However, the Danish midfielder will face competition from Fred and McTominay. The highest kicker in the United midfield is of course Bruno Fernandes.
In attack, Ten Hag will have a bit of a difficult time choosing between Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford on the left wing. He can let these two stars rotate with each other, depending on each player’s performance.
On the right wing, rookie Antony is expected to take on his role well. Anyway, this is a familiar position for him.
The highest kick in attack, if physically fit, should be Anthony Martial. The French player has played well during the summer tour but is plagued by injuries.
Martial’s replacement could be Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star asked to leave during the summer but was unsuccessful. Perhaps he will still play for United in the near future.
