Antony singles out Man Utd teammate who is 'more than a friend' after helping him 'every day' during difficult period

Antony has singled out one of his Manchester United teammates as someone who "is more than a friend" after helping him through a difficult period.

The Brazilian forward, who joined United from Ajax in September 2022 for a reported £80 million plus £4.25 million in add-ons, has scored some important goals for the club.

He scored on his debut in a 3-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford and later netted goals against Barcelona, Manchester City and most recently Liverpool in the FA Cup.

But the 24-year-old has struggled to maintain any real consistency for the Reds, especially this season.

After contributing just two goals and one assist for Erik ten Hag's side in 30 appearances throughout the 2023/24 campaign, Antony is now seen as more of an impact sub.

Back in December, the Brazilian issued a defiant response to ongoing criticism from "former clubs players and other people in the media".

Dimitar Berbatov, for example, urged the Brazilian to go back to basics, saying he needed to stop doing “stupid things like tricks that are not beneficial for the team”.

Speaking to The United Stand, Antony said: "Pressure has always been with us for those who play in big clubs, especially regarding United.

“My life has always been very challenging, and I have had to go through many situations that many cannot imagine. I grew up in a hostile place, where eating, having a good house, having the internet, and access to a good education were a privilege; I would say that for us on the ‘favelas,’ all of these were a luxury few people could have.

“This was a period in which I learned to deal with pressure and challenges. The pressure of life. Today, I see criticism coming from former club players and other people in the media, who unreasonably express their opinions and influence thousands of fans, sometimes even when I do not play.

"But I’ve never seen them give constructive criticism, which will help me be a better professional."

Image credit: Getty

Four months on from that interview and Antony has thanked Manchester United teammate Diogo Dalot for being there during a difficult period.

In fact, the Brazilian said Dalot was his best friend at the club.

Speaking to United’s official website, the Brazilian said: “I'm very grateful to God and to a friend I talk to a lot. Diogo Dalot is more than a friend to me, he's a guy who helps me every day at the club.

“We have a phrase that we always say to each other: the patient guy is unbeatable. We always talk about it. So I'm very grateful to him for his advice, for the moments we had together talking. He's a guy who's helped me a lot.”

He added: "He's a guy we're always talking to, he's always advising me and his mentality is out of the ordinary,"