Antony 'sets' Man Utd future stance amid surprise Fenerbahce and Newcastle United 'interest'
A major claim has been made over Antony’s future at Manchester United.
Antony is reportedly ready to snub any interest from Turkish giants Fenerbahce and remain at Manchester United.
The Brazil international was linked with several clubs throughout the summer after experiencing a somewhat inconsistent second season with the Red Devils. After joining United for a fee of around £80m during the summer of 2022, Antony scored ten goals and provided five assists during his first season at Old Trafford. He went on to make a further 38 appearances during his second season - but remained an unused substitute as Ten Hag landed major silverware for the second year in a row with a 2-1 win against arch rivals Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup Final.
There were recent reports suggesting Newcastle could make a move for the winger during the January transfer window if they are unable to complete a deal for former Red Devils academy graduate Anthony Elanga after holding unsuccessful talks Nottingham Forest in the final hours of the summer transfer window. However, the latest reports have suggested former United manager Jose Mourinho is keen to take Antony to Fenerbahce ahead of Turkey’s summer transfer deadline day on Friday. ESPN have reported Antony is ‘keen to feature more regularly’ - but his preference is to remain with United even if Mourinho’s side come forward with an offer over the coming days.
Speaking to Fabrizio Romano amid summer links with the Super Lig club, Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso said: "I see reports about potential exit on loan. Antony’s plan is clear: Manchester United. He wants to stay, he’s only focused on Man United. We already spoke about that with the club."
Those comments came just weeks after Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag hit back at claims he had persuaded United to overspend on the initial deal that brought Antony to Old Trafford just over two years ago. After working with the winger during his time in charge of Ajax, Ten Hag stressed he remains ‘convinced’ Antony still has the potential to shine with the 13-time Premier League champions.
In an interview to Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld ahead of the new Premier League season, the Red Devils boss said of claims he overpaid for the former Ajax star: “I don’t go over the budget. I’ve never even had a budget.
“At United, the budgets lie with the owners and management. He certainly showed that potential in the first month: he scored three times in his first three games. After that it became more difficult, last season was not good. But I am still convinced that he has the potential to play at this club.”