‘He has poison in his backside’ – Chelsea wanted Antony

WHAT HAPPENED? The Brazilian forward is now in English football, having joined Manchester United in a deal worth up to £85 million ($98m) during the summer transfer window, but he has been registering on Premier League recruitment radars for some time. De Visser, who has helped to bring South American stars such as World Cup winner Ronaldo to European football, made a note of Antony’s potential when he was at Sao Paulo, but saw him use Ajax in the Netherlands as a stepping stone to Old Trafford.

WHAT THEY SAID: De Visser has told Voetbal Nieuws of Chelsea missing out on Antony in 2020: “Together with Hans van der Zee [former Ajax head scout] we saw him for the first time at Brazil’s youth ranks and we were both charmed by him. That was a few years ago, just before he went to Ajax. I thought he had to make an intermediate step and then Hans suggested Ajax. And then we would take him right from Ajax.

“We couldn’t get him, I would have wanted him. He’s a boy with poison in his backside. He sometimes crosses the line, but he comes from the favela, doesn’t he?”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Antony spent two productive years in Amsterdam, registering 25 goals through 82 appearances as Ajax collected back-to-back Eredivisie titles.

AND WHAT'S MORE: He has already made an impact in England, with a debut goal recorded against Arsenal, and is one of those keeping Cristiano Ronaldo stuck on the bench at Old Trafford.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United winger Antony - who has become the 100th Brazilian to appear in the Premier League - is the youngest player from the nation to score on his debut in the competition.

WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY? United are delighted to have the 22-year-old on board, as he is a player that Erik ten Hag knows well, while Chelsea have been busy bolstering their attacking ranks with alternative options such as Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.