Medical expert Ben Dinnery, who has a background in injury and data analysis, has issued his verdict on Manchester United’s Antony.
When the Brazil international arrived at the club after his big-money move, he enjoyed a fine run of form, going on to score in his first three matches.
He then suffered an injury in late October that saw him miss quite a few games and even after the World Cup, he still hasn’t been able to pick up his form.
The injury problems have continued for the winger who seems to be struggling to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after his £85 million move.
Many United fans are increasingly becoming concerned and are hoping that these problems can be fixed soon.
The congested fixture list also hasn’t helped Antony settle into life in Manchester and the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag has utilized his options as well as he can so far this season but has been struggling to rotate his attacking players after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Dinnery, the fitness expert, believes that Antony’s current fitness issues are down to him struggling to adapt to the intensity of the league.
In an interview conducted on the Football Insider website, he said, “There’s certainly that element as he is struggling to adapt.
“From what we know, Antony was struggling with a problem before the winter break that initially was reported as a fairly minor and innocuous injury expected to last just two or three days but that stretched beyond and we never saw him before the World Cup.
“There is always going to be knocks and niggles along the way to recovery and he’s also still adapting to the intensity of the Premier League.
“Not only that, but he’s also adapting to a new environment. The demands physically are likely to be very different domestically compared to the national team as Erik ten Hag wants his players to work extremely hard.
“He doesn’t leave any stone unturned and he has really high expectations of his players. But also, given the type of player that Antony is, he’s going to invite challenges and he’s going to pick up knocks through that too,” the expert opined.
It’s clear to see that the medical department might be working harder under Ten Hag due to the way he wants United to play.
Some key players such as Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are other names who have frequently missed matches due to injury.
The manager will be hoping that the Red Devils fix their fitness problems as they head into the latter stages of competitions.
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