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The talented forward is currently on international duty with his country in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup.
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar says that his former club signed a 'potential world star' in Brazilian forward Antony.
According to the legendary United number one, the Brazilian has what it takes to reach the top at Old Trafford.
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In the summer, United was pushed to the wall in their pursuit of Antony at Ajax, with the Dutch champions relunctant to let him go.
The Ajax board led by Van Der Sar, the club CEO, forced the Red Devils to path with a whooping 100m before a deal to let the 22-year-old leave the club was agreed on.
Van Der Sar praises Antony
Speaking to the The Athletic, the Ajax boss bossed noted that the club didn't want to see Antony go but couldn't keep him after a huge bid from United.
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“And Antony? “Still young, still potential," he told The Athletic. "We would have liked to keep him here one year longer, there was not a dire need to sell him, we had money in the bank."
"But the fee got so high. We challenged United to go as far as possible. They have a potential world star.”
Van Der Sar happy with Martinez progress
Meanwhile, in a related development, the former Dutch international is happy with the progress of another ex Ajax star, Lisandro Martinez.
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Martinez was also another big-money buy by Manchester United from Ajax, with many calling to question the ability of the Argentine due to his height.
Speaking of the 24-year-old defender, Van Der Sar is happy that Martinez is proving his doubters wrong.
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“You know in hindsight that managers like the players they work with, the type of football Erik wanted to play, and with Martinez there he has shown his worth now," he added.
“There were question marks initially, but the way he can read the game, how aggressive he is — what he doesn’t have in centimetres he makes up for in other qualities.”
Both Antony and Martinez are currently with the Brazilian and Argentine national teams ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar which kicks off this weekend.
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