Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has lavished praise on the much-criticised Antony for the Brazilian's recent upturn in form.
The 23-year-old is still waiting for his first goal or assist of the 2023-24 campaign, but he put in a strong performance against Galatasaray in the Champions League last week, before arguably enjoying his most productive 90 minutes of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 success over Chelsea.
Antony hit out at his critics in a wide-ranging interview ahead of the contest with Mauricio Pochettino's side, with the Brazilian attempting to navigate a difficult period of his life.
The forward is still under investigation by police in both Brazil and England following accusations that he assaulted his ex-girlfriend on multiple occasions during their relationship.
Ten Hag said that Antony is now "stepping up" and urged the South American to "build from this".
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"I think it's a very good opinion. I agree, I think he's progressing as the team is progressing. But yeah, this is the attitude what he needs and what he has to contribute to the team," Ten Hag told reporters on Wednesday night.
"And he was very bright, I think he got very good positions on the ball. He make also very good decisions. And yeah, he's stepping up and he has to build from this."
Scott McTominay scored twice in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Chelsea, with the Red Devils managing to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United, and the team are now just three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the table.
"Last week we played three games. The two times we play good, I would say against Everton, very good. And then one bad performance. But you see this team is in a good direction, is very good progressing and so we are pleased with that," he added.
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"And I know sometimes you have bad performance but then, still, you can get a result. That is the next step we have to make.
"When you stick together, when you have the right attitude, when you fight it and, even in bad performances, you have to collect points.
"So that's going to be the next step. But you see how we play, style, so dominating the opponent in and out of possession. That is the way I want to play. And so I was very pleased and for me it was very enjoyable, how the team today played."
Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho were picked as the front three against Chelsea, with both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial named on the bench.
Ten Hag must now decide whether to stick with the same attack that impressed on Wednesday, or recall Rashford for Saturday's Premier League contest with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
Matt Law
