Why Antony won’t play in Manchester United vs Leicester City

Manchester United are set to play their fourth Premier League match of the 2022-23 season against Leicester City on September 2, 2022. The Red Devils have recently managed to complete the much-anticipated signing of Brazilian Antony from Ajax for €100 million and they will be wanting the attacking winger to take to the field as soon as possible. However, the 22-year-old will not be able to play in United’s match against Leicester.

The former Ajax player requires a working permit, a visa, and must be registered with the Football Association (FA) to participate in matches. The Red Devils, who have only unveiled him today, will need a few more days to get all these details sorted and Antony can be expected to play in the game against Arsenal on Saturday. The Gunners are yet to lose a match in the PL this season, and whether Erik ten Hag’s men manage to hand them their first loss at Old Trafford remains to be seen.

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Here’s a look at Antony post on Twitter announcing the new stage of his career:

Both United and Antony were eager for this move to materialize. The latter even went on a strike at Ajax and refused to play in order to push them to go for the move. Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder did not want to let go of one of the most promising players in his squad after having already lost centre-back Lisandro Martinez to United.

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He said to Ziggo Sport regarding Antony’s attitude, “I think that’s weird [Antony’s behaviour]. It’s a shame it happened. Personally, I just think it’s bad. I’m angry about it too. That frustrates you as a trainer. Then I think: you’re just a f***ing player”.

United will be confident as they take to the field against Leicester, coming off two consecutive wins against Liverpool and Southampton. Leicester, in striking contradiction, have lost their last two PL matches against Southampton and Chelsea, both with a 2-1 margin.