It shouldn't work, but somehow it does. The introverted English grafter who has struggled to win the trust of Erik ten Hag and the outgoing Brazilian showman who is something of a pet project for his Manchester United manager.
Put Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Antony on the right side for United on paper and it just looks wrong, but put them together on the pitch and it seems to be clicking. At least to a greater degree than the partnership that Antony has attempted to forge with Diogo Dalot.
There should be a synchronicity to that connection but it hasn't really worked. Perhaps it is a clash of styles, or the case that Dalot has taken on board Ten Hag's demands for a full-back, often making underlapping runs and moving into midfield. That can occasionally block Antony's preferred move, which if you hadn't noticed is to cut in on his left foot.
READ MORE: Ten Hag claims Antony improved six things in the second half
For all the frustration at the £85million winger for his steadfast refusal to do anything other than stand on his right foot, it is less of an issue when he produces the kind of quality that he did for United's second goal against Real Betis. It was a sensational finish.
It also came in the second half, when Ten Hag made the point that his performance was much better than in the first 45 minutes. That was the case for a lot of United players and they certainly improved for the presence of Wan-Bissaka, a half-time replacement for Dalot for the second time in four games.
Statistically, there was little to separate their contributions. Dalot managed 36 touches to Wan-Bissaka's 35 and 19 successful passes out of 22, to Wan-Bissaka's 18 from 21. Those numbers are so similar it suggests there was little change.
But the eye test told a different story and United were more aggressive after the break, with Wan-Bissaka's forceful running helping to drive Betis back and open up space for Antony. That didn't quite happen in the first half, when the Brazilian's room was limited.
He is still lacking natural connections with Dalot, who is the one United player struggling to recapture his pre-World Cup form. The Portugal right-back still seems to be Ten Hag's first-choice in that position, but the gap must be shrinking.
It also feels like having Wan-Bissaka on the right is bringing more out of Antony. The 23-year-old has now scored seven goals in 28 games this season, which isn't a bad return, but he still isn't doing enough to warrant the £85million spent on him in the summer.
His contribution is nowhere near as consistent enough and that was summed up on Thursday, when he sparkled after the break but had been wasteful in the first half, often running down blind alleys in a bid to keep the ball on his left foot.
"In the first half, he could do better to make more actions, be more brave, go more behind, taking players on, but especially more movement, using his speed," said Ten Hag.
"And I think the second-half performance was much better, he made a great goal, an important goal."
The mention of his speed is interesting because it's something rarely seen in a United shirt. In fact, you wouldn't even know he was that quick. Rarely do you see him breaking in behind and when he does get space to run into he is too regularly taking the safe option, turning away from goal or trying to engineer the ball onto his favoured foot, which is allowing defences time to regroup.
Ten Hag has been consistent in his messaging around Antony recently, telling him publicly and privately that there is more to come, that he has to get better, but it's also worth bearing in mind this is just his third season in European football and two of them have been for a dominant Ajax team.
This was also going to be another step up. At the moment he remains a work in progress, but Ten Hag can't afford to lose faith, given how hard he pushed for his signature in the summer and how much United ended up paying for a player that could have been cheaper if they had made their decisive move earlier in the window.
Given that Antony's place is undoubtedly secure in this team, it could be worth Ten Hag changing the structure around him, which might mean a chance for that partnership with Wan-Bissaka to take a more consistent step forward.
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