Manchester United’s new signing Antony trains with team-mates for the first time

Days before Sunday’s match against Arsenal, new Manchester United attacker Antony trained with his teammates for the first time.

Antony, 22, rejoined his former manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford after leaving Dutch powerhouse Ajax in a transfer for £85.5 million.

After a saga that appeared to drag on for much of the window, United finally got their man after Ajax relented under growing pressure both from the fee offered and Antony’s insistence he be allowed to depart.

Antony trained with his teammates for the first time on Friday in preparation for Sunday’s home game against early Premier League pacesetters Arsenal, with United on an impressive run of three victories.

In the photographs, which United themselves have made public, Antony can be seen beaming as he takes to the Carrington pitches with his new teammates for the first time.

The forward does not speak English, so it was not surprising to see Casemiro and Fred, two other newcomers to the team this summer, take him under their wing when the team was put through some final drills before Sunday.

During his final weeks in Amsterdam, Antony trained by himself as his relationship with Ajax deteriorated due to debates about whether or not he should be let to leave.

Naturally, Antony was much more cheerful than he had been in the latter weeks of his stay with the Dutch club.

In what seemed to be a brief practice, Antony participated in some passing warm-up exercises before being pictured with Benni McCarthy, who joined the team last summer as a member of Ten Hag’s coaching staff.

When Ten Hag announced on Thursday that Antony had worked out by himself while the team traveled to Leicester, it left room for the Brazilian to make an appearance on Sunday.

‘He did his first training, individually [on Thursday],’ United’s manager said of Antony. [Friday] we have a team session and on Saturday we have a team session.

I’ll consider it, and then we’ll make a choice. When questioned if United supporters should anticipate Antony starting the game, Ten Hag added.

I have seen Arsenal; they are a formidable foe. They have a coach that brings his ideology to the club, and you can tell that this is a team that has been together for a while, so for us, it’s a good test,’ he continued.

We will choose the perfect starting XI, and I’m genuinely looking forward to that.

In the meantime, Antony conducted his normal interview with the club’s authorized media outlets and discussed how important it was to him and his family for him to join United.

He admitted to having several trying times in his life, according to United’s website.

“I am aware that this will be even another difficulty. I’ve been through a lot in the past, like being without food, having no football boots, and having to spend the early hours of the morning pumping water out of my flooded home.

READ ALSO: Erik ten Hag speaks about Cristiano Ronaldo’s role at Manchester United

Manchester United move’s to signing another Real Madrid star, ‘Asensio

They were terribly trying times, yet I smiled through it all.” Everything I’m going through right now is a result of those experiences.

Every day, my mother called, my father texted, and my sister joined them, asking: “What’s going on? Has it been a success? Anything wrong?

They seemed more anxious than I was. When I told them the news they cried a lot. ‘I’ve been dreaming about this, I’ve been losing sleep thinking about it.

My head and heart were here. Erik [ten Hag] knows, everyone at Manchester United knows about my desire to be here and wear the United shirt.’

United currently sit fifth in the league table after five games having lost their opening two fixtures.