After a challenging start to the season, Erik ten Hag has praised Antony’s recent efforts, calling the Manchester United winger “stepping up.”

The Brazil international has had a challenging second season at Old Trafford; he has yet to score or assist this season despite joining United in an £85 million transfer from Ajax in the summer of 2022.

Following accusations of assault in Brazil earlier in the campaign, the winger was granted a leave of absence.

After rejoining the team, he has been inconsistent and has drawn a lot of criticism from former United players. However, last week’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray showed significant improvement.

Along with Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, he was also selected for Wednesday’s starting lineup against Chelsea, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial being placed on the bench.

At Old Trafford, United won 2-1 thanks to two goals from Scott McTominay. Antony’s work also impressed Ten Hag, who singled him out for particular recognition.

“I agree, I think he’s progressing,” ten Hag said in his post-match press conference. “This is the attitude and what he needs.

“It’s what he has to contribute to the team. He was very bright, he got very good positions on the ball, he also make very good decisions, he is stepping up and he has to build on this.”

Ten Hag received much-needed encouragement from the win over Chelsea following a trying week for the team.

The Dutchman insisted that Wednesday’s victory marked a significant advancement and dismissed notions of a crisis at Old Trafford.

“Crisis? Not for us,” ten Hag said. “We keep calm, we look at the process, we know where we have to build and build on, so we go in right direction don’t get distracted by criticism from around us.

“We are critical on ourselves, we are not quick to be satisfied, always want to do better.

“We want to keep going in this process, with progress. The season is long, we have to improve a lot if we want to be successful, this team is capable of being successful.”