Antony transfer to Manchester United simulated with great results as deal announced

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Ajax winger Antony, in a deal rising to €100million (£85.1m).

The Brazilian will sign five-year contract with the option of an additional year and becomes the club's second-most expensive signing United have paid Ajax €95m up front, with €5m due in add-ons, including a solidarity payment to his first professional club Sao Paulo.

The 22-year-old winger has been a priority target for Erik ten Hag all summer, with the two having worked together at Ajax before the manager made his move to United. Antony was omitted from the Ajax squad for the second successive game against FC Utrecht last weekend.

READ MORE: Ajax give update on Antony after star left out of squad again

So what sort of impact could Antony have at Old Trafford? We simulated the 2022/23 season with Antony in United's squad and this is what happened.

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Antony to join United, using FM22 to run the simulation. We also updated the rest of the Premier League with the latest transfers and results

Antony quickly adapted to English football and worked perfectly in Ten Hag's system, becoming a regular in the starting XI during his first season. In all competitions, Antony made 53 appearances, scoring eight and assisting 13 in that time.

His best performances came in the FA Cup, with the Brazilian averaging a rating of 8.1 per game, scoring two and assisting three in four appearances. In all competitions, his average rating was 7.48 - the best in the entire United squad.

Antony scored less than Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford, though he ended the season with the most assists and the most player of the match