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“He started to beat people”- Paul Scholes backs 23-year-old to succeed at Manchester United

Antony of Manchester United.
Antony of Manchester United. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Paul Scholes adamant that good times are around the corner for Antony

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is confident that Antony will come good and that his performances in the recent past have been good.

The Brazil international, who was signed from Ajax for a whopping fee of £86m, has struggled for consistency in his first at Old Trafford.

He has only got eight goals and two assists in 36 appearances in all competitions. Having not scored in the league since October, the 23-year-old did that against Nottingham Forest last Sunday and looked good overall.

Antony of Manchester United
Paul Scholes backs Antony to come good for Manchester United. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Here’s what Scholes said about having confidence in Antony to come good for United (h/t Manchester Evening News, via BT Sport):

“It took some convincing from me, especially after the start of the season. But I think since that Everton game at home [on April 8] he has become a different player. I felt he became a bit predictable, always coming in on his left foot.

“He needed to add different dimensions to his game and I think in the Everton game he did that. He started to run in behind Ben Godfrey, he did it two or three times and was clean through on goal but didn’t quite get the goal. He started to beat people on the outside and now his confidence is there and he’s starting to look like the player we all expected.”

After the Forest game, Gary Neville also spoke on similar lines in terms of having faith in the player and him coming good in the near future.

Having signed on the deadline day of the summer window and missed the whole pre-season, it was understandable that Antony would take some time to settle.

Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Antony celebrates after scoring.
Antony has done well in the last few games. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

He started off being predictable on the ball by only cutting on his left foot. But in the last few games, the Brazilian has started to take defenders on both sides and is comfortable in running behind to give different things for the opposition player to worry about.

Antony will be key if United are to beat Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-final later today. If he plays well and links up with Marcus Rashford, they could cause trouble to a side that has been defensively solid this season since Roberto De Zerbi took over.

More Manchester United News:

If the 23-year-old ends the season on a high with key contributions, we would forget the time he took early on to settle in here.

Written by Mizgan Masani

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