Paul Scholes predicts Man Utd attacker will become a ‘huge player’ in the coming years

Paul Scholes has said Antony could become a ‘huge player’ for Manchester United in the coming years.

The former midfielder has not always been Antony’s biggest fan and questioned his output earlier this season, but Scholes feels something has clicked with the winger in recent weeks. Antony was excellent in the weekend win over Nottingham Forest as he scored and set up Diogo Dalot’s goal after an intricate dribble from the touchline.

Scholes claimed that after a period of adaptation, United fans are starting to see the sort of football from the Brazilian that prompted the club to fork out £85m to sign him last summer from Ajax.

“It took some convincing from me, especially after the start of the season, but I think since that Everton game at home [on 8 a April] he has become a different player,” Scholes said on BT Sport, ahead of United’s Europa League quarter-final second-leg tie against Sevilla.

“I felt he became a bit predictable, always coming in on his left foot and he needed to add different dimensions to his game and I think in the Everton game he did that. He started to run in behind Ben Godfrey, he did it two or three times and was clean through on goal but didn’t quite get the goal. He started to beat people on the outside and now his confidence is there and he’s starting to look like the player we all expected.

“He’s still going to do his silly stuff but we don’t mind if he’s producing stuff like this, producing goals and a pass for Dalot [against Forest]. He needs more of those goals, he needs to get himself in the box and he will score a lot of goals in this team in the next couple of years.

“He’s 22 years of age, Brazilian lad, has come from a different country,” Scholes added. “It was going to take him a bit of time to settle in but now - ok, we’re coming to the end of the season - but in the next couple of years he could be a huge player for this club.”