Erik ten Hag wants to bring Ajax star with him to Manchester United

Erik ten Hag wants to bring Ajax winger Antony with him to Manchester United should he win the race to be named the club’s new permanent manager, according to reports.

The Red Devils’ hierarchy have been conducting a thorough search for a successor to interim boss Ralf Rangnick and interviewed Ten Hag last week, with the Dutch coach now the frontrunner to take over the reins at Old Trafford.

He still faces competition from the likes of PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino and Spain head coach Luis Enrique, but he made a big impression on the club in his formal interview.

During the talks, Ten Hag is believed to have asked about United’s vision and transfer budget – and he appears to already know the first player he wants to sign.

According to The Telegraph, he is very keen to bring Brazil international Anthony with him to Manchester, with the 22-year-old having impressed enormously under Ten Hag’s guidance at Ajax.

Antony has netted 10 goals and laid on 8 assists in 30 appearances across both the Eredivisie and Champions League this season after also registering 17 goal contributions in the league last season.

His performances since swapping Sao Paulo for Amsterdam have earned him plenty of admirers and he has been linked with the likes of Barcelona in the past, while he has so far received eight caps for Brazil and won gold at the 2020 Olympics.

Rooney calls three ex-Man Utd teammates 'annoying', 'arrogant' and a 'disappointment'

Man Utd board identify priority £100m signing regardless of who the next manager is

'Go and get him!' — Danny Murphy urges Arsenal to sign Manchester United star

There is thought to be an enormous amount of interest in Antony, but the prospect of sticking with Ten Hag is something that could play a massive