Antony says critics are only fueling his desire to prove his worth at Manchester United as under-fire Erik ten Hague and his stuttering side look to end a difficult season on a high.
It has been a poor campaign for everyone involved in the Old Trafford outfit, who were knocked out of Europe before Christmas and will almost certainly miss out on Champions League qualification.
United face a battle for sixth place and stumbled to a 1-1 home draw against relegation battlers Burnley on Saturday, after Clarets substitute Zacky Amdoni’s spot-kick canceled out Anthony’s late effort. .
It was the first Premier League goal of a poor campaign for the £84.8million winger, who is among a number of players who have had a season to forget for the Red Devils, but still the FA Cup against Manchester United. In the finals, they could get silverware. The coming city.
“It’s been a tough year for me and the team,” said 24-year-old Antony. “The results are not what we expected.
“I’m someone who takes criticism very well and I want to work on it, and I think we all have to focus on finishing the season in the best possible way.
“We still have some Premier League games and the (FA Cup) final to go, but then we need to focus on next season and not commit the mistakes we made this year.”
An eye-watering injury list offers some relief for United, where the future of key personnel – from Ten Hague to his players – is in the spotlight as Enos looks to turn things around.
He took control of football operations as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority takeover deal and quickly highlighted player trading as an issue that needed improvement.
A deal to bring Antony from Ajax in 2022 will surely have raised eyebrows at Ineos, with United committing to pay £80.6m with a further £4.2m in add-ons.
The price tag was repeatedly raised during the Brazilian winger’s slow first season at Old Trafford and a disappointing second in which he faced allegations of abuse which he has always vehemently denied.
Antony said: “(The transfer fee) doesn’t really affect me because I know my value.
“Money is money and obviously everyone talks about it but no one would if everyone and I were to perform at the top.
“So, it’s something that’s just a way of working hard, knowing that I can get better, I know my worth and I will.
“Like I said there will be critics, and that’s something that makes me want to work harder, prove myself first.
“I will continue to work, giving everything for the group because having a good mentality and focus is the most important thing.”
Antony, Ten Hague and the rest of the squad have the chance to turn the mood around for a big summer by winning May’s all-Manchester FA Cup final.
The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by City in last year’s Wembley showpiece and the winger knows they need to improve if they are to add to their 2023 Carabao Cup triumph.
“We know we have a final and we want to win it, but we need to be better to do that,” Antony said.
“We still have five games to go and we have to think game by game, get better and find the best way to get to the final and win it.”
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
