Tomorrow morning (April 14), MU will welcome Sevilla in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League 2022/23. In the context of the main striker Marcus Rashford’s injury, Antony will be one of the great hopes of the Red Devils.
“Antony is a fighter and loves challenges. That’s why in Brazil he was picked in the starting XI. Antony is very young. He can destroy opponents. We have seen that. In the last match against Everton, the coach of the opposing team had to change another left-back after half-time (replacing Ben Godfrey) because Antony played well,” Ten Hag shared before the match against Sevilla.
The words of the Dutch strategist are not entirely unfounded flattery of Antony. In the 2-0 victory over Everton, the former Ajax star played prominently on the right wing. He owns a situation to fix his forte with his left foot hitting the vertical post, and at the same time stirs up the visitors’ defense with tricky dribbles. Defender Godfrey certainly had a hard time keeping Antony, and the presence of Vitalii Mykolenko afterwards did not help Everton better.
This season, Antony has only scored 3 goals for MU in the Premier League. In total, until now, the 23-year-old striker has only pocketed 7 goals after 33 appearances for the Red Devils – a relatively modest number compared to the 95 million euro fee that the club spent to bring him to the Old. Trafford last summer. However, in important matches in the Europa League 2022/23, Antony always knows how to shine to help MU get positive results.
In the second leg of the play-off round against Barcelona, Antony was the author of the goal to set a 2-1 victory for MU with a beautiful foot. Then, in the first leg of the 1/8 round with Real Betis, Antony was the one who scored to increase the score to 2-1 in the second half, opening the final 4-1 victory for the Red Devils. Antony can be colorful, showy and sometimes ineffective at finishing. However, at times when MU had difficulty in the continental playground, Antony still showed the bravery of an expensive contract.
It is possible that after a period of ups and downs, Antony is reaching a drop point. With the impromptu samba flowing through her body, Antony can completely do extraordinary things on a sublime night. In the context of Rashford’s absence due to injury, the pressure to score goals for MU will certainly be put on Antony’s shoulders. As coach Ten Hag shared, the Brazilian striker is a challenge-loving player, so the fight with Sevilla tomorrow morning promises to be like a “doping dose” for Antony, making him even more eager to show his ability.
In the past, MU has never beaten Sevilla in the European arena. After 3 encounters with the Spanish representative, the Red Devils lost 2 and drew 1. However, with Antony, the Red Devils have the right to think of a bright scenario, in the immediate future at Old Trafford. Who knows, a moment with Antony’s left foot correction will decide the fate of the match.
