Antony has admitted his relief at scoring Manchester United 's opening goal in their FA Cup win over Everton on Friday.
The winger scored just four minutes into the clash at Old Trafford, sliding in to direct Marcus Rashford's cross home. It was his first goal since the win over the Toffees in the Premier League back in October, with the Brazilian having struggled to make an impact since his big-money move from Ajax.
Recently, he was left out of the United squad which claimed a comfortable win at Bournemouth. And he has admitted that his performance against Everton has helped to take a mind off a "shock" he suffered in his personal life.
"First of all it’s a feeling of joy, I’m happy to score again and especially at home. I’ve set some goals for me this season and it’ good to score as soon as I’ve start to think of personal goals. But of course the most important is United’s qualification," Antony told TNT Sports.
"I also feel relieved as in the last few days I had a shock, but I prefer not to comment on what happened. It was a personal matter, really hard but I’m very grateful to God for putting this behind me now.
"Grateful to the club, to the players, to the manager to everyone that stayed by my side. It’s in the past now, I’m happy to score and I hope to keep going lie this because this is a year of a lot of achievements and wins.
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"This is my mind-frame now, I’m 100% focused on honouring the fans and the club. We all know the size of this club we want to put United back where it deserves."
Antony praised United boss Erik ten Hag for helping him during the "difficult" moment he had faced. And he admitted that he is still adapting to the challenge of the Premier League, six months after arriving at Old Trafford.
"It was a really, really difficult moment for me. But God has always been by my side and I’m grateful also to my family. I dedicate this goal to them and it’s in moments like these that you know who really loves you," Antony added.
"Now it’s about focusing on what’s next and we have a quarter-final to play. Everything, not only on the pitch, it also involves resting, eating well, everything. It’s about being 100% on and off the pitch, especially on the mental side as it’s what controls the rest.
"I really demand a lot from myself regardless what people talk about me. I listen to the helpful feedback. The Premier League is absolutely different to any other league. Intensity, calendar, a lot of games… it’s a huge demand.
"So that is why I’m focused on being on top of my mental and body health. About the manager, I like him a lot, I’ve got a lot of respect and gratitude for him. He knows me, knows who I am, how hard I work.
"He knows I’m always giving 100% even when things don’t work out for me. He knows where I come from, my story, how I suffered growing up in a favela. It’s very important to have his support and also from the squad and the fans."
