New signing Antony got off to the perfect start at Manchester United as he scored on his debut in a 3-1 victory against Arsenal.
His opener was met with a Bukayo Saka equaliser in the second half, but a Marcus Rashford double saw Erik ten Hag's side take all three points from the game.
Despite just two training sessions at Carrington, the latest Brazilian addition to the squad was thrown into the deep end on the right-wing at Old Trafford.
There was some expected rustiness from the wide man, but he also showed glimpses of why Ten Hag pushed so much for his signing. The goal was the cherry on top of the performance, as he swept the ball into the far corner.
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"You can see all of his potential," Ten Hag spoke of his winger, who celebrated his finish by grabbing the badge of his new club.
"He will be a threat in the Premier League. We were missing a player on the right wing,
"[Jadon] Sancho and [Marcus] Rashford can play there but they prefer the centre or the left side, so now we have the one who can play really good on the right, that was a missing link."
Antony started alongside the two mentioned by the United manager. Rashford excelled through the middle, while Sancho looked sharp on the left.
"I know what he can be, I talked before the game we needed that in the right wing," Ten Hag added.
"With his pace, his dribbles, his pressing capabilities, he’s really good with that, we’ve seen that,"
The Dutchman also stressed that there is more to come from the 22-year-old, after an interrupted beginning to the season.
"[At] this moment he lacks a little bit of power, he missed some training in pre-season, an injury, then the last 10 days.
"[But] you can see his potential, he has to work for it to get that,
"The intensity of the Premier League is going to be high and a challenge for him, but we’ve seen his potential today, it’s great he scored the first goal."
Antony's deadline day signing saw much criticism of United for the £86 million price tag, however, that debut goal goes one step closer to silencing critics.
As the 100th Brazilian to play in the Premier League, Antony's goal saw him become the youngster goalscorer in the competition from that nation (22-years-old, 192 days).
He could start again in the Europa League on Thursday as United face Real Sociedad as he looks to continue his strong start with the Reds.
Topics: Manchester United, Antony, Premier League, Arsenal, Erik Ten Hag
Cain Smith