Antony: I'm honoured to represent the badge

Manchester United officially announced the signing of Antony from Ajax today, with the transfer worth £80.75m, with a potential further £4.25m in add ons.

The winger has been keen on a move to United all summer but in the end resorted to missing training to try and push the transfer through.

Speaking to MUTV, Antony revealed what it meant to him to play for United and the influence Erik ten Hag’s presence had on him.

First of all, I’m really happy to be here at Manchester United. It’s my dream come true. I’m really grateful for the support and faith shown in me by everyone here. I want to make history here, I hope to achieve great things with the club. I’m delighted and honoured to look at my chest and see that I’m wearing the badge of this massive club.

Erik ten Hag is an excellent coach. I’ve got tremendous respect and affection for him. From the moment I arrived at Ajax he treated me so well and put his faith in me. It’s not by chance I had such a great run of form under him for two years. We developed this mutual trust and closeness. He’s a manager I have respect and affection for – when I found out he was moving here I wished him all the best and all the success he deserves. Now I’m alongside him once again, I hope to make history and develop and grow further under his management.

Antony is linking up with fellow Brazilians at United, in Fred and new signing Casemiro, with the former encouraging him to make the move.

I’m really happy to meet the Brazilians here. I’m really happy to be reunited with them again from the national team, now we’re here together. I hope to learn a lot from them. Fred’s talked to me about the club, I hope to make history with them here at Manchester United and grow and develop alongside my two fellow Brazilians.

Antony was born in Sao Paulo, just like Casemiro, and both of them started their football careers in Sao Paulo’s academy.

We come from the same Sao Paulo youth team. We never played together because of the age difference but to be sharing a dressing room and pitch and playing alongside him now is really something special. I’m really happy that we’ve both come from the same place, the Sao Paulo youth set-up and today we’re playing together at this great club. As we’ve said in messages to each other, we hope to write our names in the club’s history.

I was at the club from the age of 12 until I was 19. I’m really grateful, they know how grateful I am and how much affection I have for them. I follow the club whenever I have the time, I feel very grateful for everything. I spoke to a few players at Sao Paulo I’m friends with, I’ve spoken to the club president too. I’m really happy with the affection and respect not just from them but also from the fans, I hope to give my all here, though whenever there’s time I’ll be following Sao Paulo.

He is also reunited with former Ajax teammate Lissandro Martinez, who has just been named United’s Player of the Month, and has spoken about how the Argentinean motivates him.

We spent two years together at Ajax. We developed a really strong friendship. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his family who I got to know as well. I’m glad we’re back together again to make history. He messaged me today and yesterday. He’s a great friend that I’ve made in football. Now we’re back together and we’ve spoken about achieving great things together here.

Martinez has his Argentinian style, we know it well. I love it and it motivates me to see him play. The way he competes, the way he plays he gives his heart and soul on the pitch. I have the same personality he knows me well and knows what I’m like. I put my body on the line – blood, sweat and tears. If I need to leave the pitch really hurting no problem, it’s my life, it’s my job. Watching Martinez, I know him well, up close. He’s a great player we can all see, people recognise this, Martinez is a craque.