Antony recalls favela horrors in honest interview as Man Utd star makes exciting promise

Manchester United winger Antony is drawing on the horrors he experienced in his Sao Paolo favela to put the adversity he has faced in England into perspective. And the Brazilian has vowed he feels ready to make his third season at Old Trafford his strongest after leaving personal issues that impacted his 2022/23 campaign in the rear mirror.

Antony managed just three goals and two assists in 38 appearances last term – including one goal and one assist in 29 Premier League games.

The 24-year-old has produced a measly 11 goals and five assists in 82 outings since Erik ten Hag pushed through his £86million transfer from Ajax in 2022.

Last season was more problematic than his first due to off-field issues, including allegations of physical assault from a former girlfriend.

Antony voluntarily attended an interview with Greater Manchester Police. Still, he was subsequently dropped from the Brazil squad and, following a month-long personal leave of absence, couldn’t get going at United.

Despite his woes since landing in M16 from the Netherlands, Antony has insisted that they haven’t compared to his rough upbringing.

“I talked about the difficult times I went through last year, but I’ve overcome more significant difficulties in the favela,” the United No. 21 told the Mirror.

“Like when I didn’t have boots to play football, when at times there wasn’t enough to eat. I saw a lot of friends go down another path, and some of them lost their lives.

“But I always believed in my dream to be where I am today. I didn’t have a bedroom – I slept on the sofa in the living room. My house would flood when it rained heavily.

“People don’t see these things. I don’t use it as an excuse for my performances, as I demand a lot of myself to be always playing well, but these are things people don’t see, what we went through and what we suffered.”

Antony revealed that he had made a habit of writing his objectives down in a journal to help him visualise the improvements he needs to make.

One of them is his number of goal contributions, and he insists he is in the correct mindset to execute positive progress this season.

He added: “I’m someone who demands a lot of myself. I was obviously not satisfied with my season, but a lot happened over the year in my personal life.

“Like it or not, everything I went through had an effect on the pitch. As I’ve said before, that’s behind me now, and now it’s a new season.

“I’ve got a strong mentality, and I’m focused on what I want, and I know that this season will be totally different.

“Everything I went through was very difficult for me and all my family. I’ve learnt from it all; I’ve grown and matured.

“I believe I learnt a lot from the adversity. I learn from everything I go through and learn that everything is possible when you persist in achieving what you want.

“I matured and grew from it all and this will make me stronger going into this new season. New season, new mindset. I feel a lot less burdened and more prepared.”