Antony thought he was a basketball player in the Eredivisie, but the Premier League showed him his level
Antony may have shone in the Eredivisie with Ajax, but the Brazilian has been uncovered since moving to Manchester United.
That is the view of Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan, who has been a keen observer of the winger since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2022.
The 24-year-old arrived at the club with huge promise after United paid Ajax a whopping £86million for his services.
It looked like money well spent when Antony scored on his debut in a 3-1 win over ArsenalAnd things got even better for the star, who scored in United's next two league games.
Antony recorded eight goals and three assists in 44 games during his first season at Old Trafford, but a combination of off-field issues and poor form meant the winger scored just three times last season.
He has since come under a barrage of criticism for a series of sub-par performances and has yet to establish himself in Ten Hag's starting XI this season.
With just one minute of action under his belt in United's first four league games, Antony is in contention to earn a starting place in Tuesday's Carabao Cup game at home to Barnsley. Live on talkSPORT 2.
Ten Hag hopes Antony can still succeed at Old Trafford, but Tuesday's clash was not the type of game he was signed for.
Van der Kraan believes the United boss will be praying that Antony can turn his fortunes around with the transfer responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders.
“Erik ten hag is praying for this to happen because, following his advice, a lot of money was spent on this player,” Van der Kraan told talkSPORT.
“It's the usual trap that Dutch coaches fall into when they go to England, they have seen players in Holland who have done well.
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“Antony came from Brazil, joined Ajax and in Brazil he was a great talent. He comes to the Eredivisie, which is not at the same level.
“He thought he was a real player in the Eredivisie. Yes, you face teams like Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles.
“You only play three or four important games in a season and yes, he lit up the stadium a few times in the important games, but it is not a consistent period.
“Then he came to England and thought: 'Wait, I'm going to face very tough opponents'.”
He continued: “In the past, he also fought a bit. He was one of those street kids from Brazil who did that and he found that when he meets some kids from London or Manchester or Liverpool Those who grew up on the streets there are as tough as he is.
“If Antony's level of play has dropped until the Carabao Cup against Barnsley, then that's not the kind of line you want to take in your career when you're moving for that much money.”
Ten Hag will want things to work out better for the Dutch international Joshua Zirkzeewho also scored on his debut, in the opening day match against Fulham.
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The striker has failed to add to his tally since then, but has shown flashes of quality during the opening weeks of his United career.
“He was at five or six clubs in the early stages of his career; if you're a big talent, you'll stay at one,” Van der Kraan said.
“He has style, he has height and watching him when he was 15 years old in the Feyenoord academy, I always thought: 'You have something'.”
“In Bologna it was very good, but this is… Manchester UnitedWe have to keep an eye on this kid and we have to keep an eye on all of Erik's kids for longer periods of time.
“With the experience Erik has had with Antony and some of the other lads, you think, ‘should I have been more careful buying players from the Eredivisie knowing how tough the others have had it?'
“I really hope Zirkzee makes the difference for him,” he added. “If Zirkzee doesn't score the goals and put in brilliant performances, it will be a very difficult season for Ten Hag.”
