Any player that signs for Manchester United knows they must shoulder huge pressure when they step out onto the pitch.
This will be no different for Antony, who is about to put pen to paper at Old Trafford. He has shown his nerve in many regards in his career, most recently by forcing through an Ajax exit to get his United move.
The Brazilian looks set to cost United £85m, so would become their most expensive transfer of the window. And former defender Rio Ferdinand has shared his fear that the hefty price tag could initially weigh heavy on Antony.
READ MORE: Antony arrives at Carrington ahead of United transfer
He also said the limelight and intense culture of the club could come as a shock to the system. Ferdinand explained: “It can be the price tag weighing heavy.
“The pressure and the attention of being under the spotlight, a new environment and club and culture that they're not used to, and a team set up that they're not used to. Those three things are big things that come into play when you sign.
“But you have to have the personality and character to deal with all that, that's a big thing.” Antony’s previous comments can quell Ferdinand’s nerves.
The 22-year-old grew up in an area of Sao Paulo that was rife with drug and gun crime. He described how he many of the sights he saw as a youngster were shocking, including the time police raided his family home.
As per the BBC, the favela he grew up in was called Inferninho, which translates as ‘Little Hell’. Antony explained how living in that culture was “real pressure.”
He said: "Real pressure was when I lived in a favela and left for school at nine in the morning not sure whether I would be able to eat again until nine in the night. That's some pressure. Otherwise, we can all adapt."
The young talent has also faced a hostile environment when he came through the ranks at Sao Paulo FC, where huge expectations from fans were placed on him and the team at such a young age. He then moved to Ajax in 2020 aged 19, where the aim is to win the league every year. Moving to United will certainly be a step up, even if they are not challenging for titles right now.
The pressure will be there, price tag or not, but Antony has been through enough trying circumstances for it to faze him.
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