Manchester United attacker Antony has confessed that he is still finding it difficult to adjust to life as a Premier League footballer from a challenging upbringing in Brazil.
The Red Devils coughed up a fee of around £86m to bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford from Ajax at the start of the 2022-23 season.
However, the 24-year-old has struggled to live up to the expectations that come with such a massive price tag, and rumours in recent times have suggested that the club are looking to part ways with him.
During the 2023-24 season, he scored only one goal in the Premier League, three fewer than in his debut campaign, and found himself tumbling down the pecking order.
Erik ten Hag, who has managed Antony in all four of his European seasons at both United and Ajax, admitted that off-the-pitch issues have impacted the Brazilian's performance on the field.
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Antony admits off-field issues affected his on-field performances
At the beginning of last season, Antony was accused of physical assault by a former girlfriend and voluntarily participated in an interview with Greater Manchester Police.
The 24-year-old was subsequently excluded from the Brazil squad due to the allegations and granted a month-long personal leave of absence by United to address the situation.
Antony denied all the allegations and believes he has moved past that challenging period in his life, and has refocused on the upcoming season.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "A lot happened over the year in my personal life. Like it or not, everything I went through had an effect on the pitch. It was very difficult for me and all my family, but I've learnt from it all. I've grown and matured.
"I believe I learnt a lot from the adversity. I learn from everything I go through and learn that everything is possible when you persist in achieving what you want. I've put the past behind me, what I went through last season.
"People don't see these things. I don't use it as an excuse for my performances as I demand a lot of myself to be always playing well."
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Antony vows to live up to Man United expectations
The United forward went on to open up about his difficulties growing up in Inferninho and vowed that his childhood motivates him to make a comeback and live up to the expectations United have of him.
"My childhood was very difficult. I talked about the difficult times I went through last year, but I've overcome more significant difficulties in the favela. Like when I didn't have boots to play football and when at times there wasn't enough to eat," he said.
"I have a lot of objectives, ones I write down for myself and many for this new season. I haven't been doing this for that long, but I'm doing it a lot more for this season. I have to do it for every game.
"There are a lot of things I note down in detail: how many shots I should be making in a game, I can't lose the ball, I need to score goals and create assists, pass and dribble completions as well as defensive performance, more work on the right foot. I have a lot of objectives.
"Rest assured, you'll hear the name Antony in relation to goals and assists," he added.
Antony is back at Old Trafford after being granted an extended break last season, and he will be in line to feature for the Red Devils' Community Shield showdown against cross-town rivals Manchester City this weekend.
Devesh Jaganath
