When Manchester United announced the appointment of Erik ten Hag on a three-year deal with the option of an additional year, the Netherlands' worst-kept secret had been made official. Ten Hag's trophy-laden reign was finally coming to an end.
Ten Hag ended his time in Amsterdam on an almost perfect note. Although Ajax won the Eredivisie, which was the third Dutch championship of Ten Hag's tenure, they fell short in the KNVB Cup final, losing that match 2-1 against PSV.
That disappointment didn't matter much when Ajax made sure of the Eredivisie title just a few weeks later. Ajax signed off their final home game of the season with an emphatic 5-0 win over Heerenveen and emotional scenes followed.
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The players lifted the trophy, Edwin van der Sar thanked Ten Hag for his work and the 52-year-old was also given the opportunity to make a farewell speech at the Amsterdam Arena. "'We did great things together," a visibly proud and beaming Ten Hag said.
Ajax also collated individual goodbye messages from players of past and present who had played under Ten Hag. They shared the footage on social media and among the players that wished Ten Hag good luck were Frenkie de Jong and Antony.
Both players' goodbyes to Ten Hag mightn't have to be for very long. The Manchester Evening News understands United are making progress in discussions over a fee for De Jong and that Ten Hag is interested in bringing Antony to Old Trafford this summer.
"Hi trainer, Erik ten Hag," Antony said in his message. "I want to wish you all the best at your new club. I also want to thank you for everything you taught me. I am thankful for all the opportunities and learning every day. Know that I will always stand with you if you need me. A big hug and good luck."
With the benefit of hindsight, the waffles and bottles of Heineken in the press room for Ten Hag's first press conference last month were foreshadowing the Dutch revolution that was to come to Manchester, albeit Antony is obviously Brazilian.
Antony is the most recent Ajax player to have emerged as a United target. United have spent £120m on right-wingers across the last two seasons yet the position remains an obvious problem.
Ten Hag views Antony, 22, as the potential solution to that problem. Antony contributed 12 goals and 10 assists in 32 appearances for Ajax last season, which was an improvement on his already impressive debut season after signing from Sao Paulo.
Antony's promise of always standing with Ten Hag has caused some excitement on social media. The player's quick feet make for exciting highlight reels on YouTube, but how does he compare to the Premier League's players in his position?
The winger averaged 0.67 xA (Expected Assists) per 90 in the Eredivisie last season and he would be at the top of the Premier League on that metric if reproducing that level of performance for United, so in layman's terms, he's outstanding at creating chances.
Antony would also be at the top for successful attacking actions if he reproduces that same level of performance, and that will be the challenge for the player should he make the switch to United. Donny van de Beek is a perfect case study for Antony.
Antony has looked visually impressive for Ajax and the statistics reaffirm why United are interested in him.
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