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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has asserted that Antony is expected to be out for an indefinite period of time due to an injury.
Antony, 22, has been a regular starter for the Old Trafford outfit since arriving from Ajax for a fee of £86 million last summer. He has scored five goals and laid out one assist in 23 matches so far this campaign.
A left-footed wide-operator blessed with flair and dribbling, Antony was forced off towards the end of his team's 2-1 Premier League home win over Crystal Palace on Saturday (February 4).
While the nature of his injury is yet to be revealed, he has been ruled out of the Red Devils' league clash against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Ten Hag shed light on the timeline of the injured Antony's return to first-team action. He said:
"I don't know for how long he will be out. I don't think it's a long time but we have to see how it develops in the coming days. It's in his leg, but I can't specify as we don't understand that."
Ten Hag is likely to hand either Jadon Sancho or Alejandro Garnacho a start in his team's Premier League clash against the struggling Whites.
Antony, who penned a five-year deal upon joining Manchester United, was a vital member of Ten Hag's Ajax squad last term. He registered 22 goal involvements in 33 matches across all competitions for De Godenzonen, helping them lift their 36th Eredivisie title in the process.
Gabby Agbonlahor delivers brutal verdict on under-fire Manchester United attacker
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor slammed Manchester United ace Antony for his poor outings. He said:
"Manchester United, for me, have looked better since Erik ten Hag has come in. They've done better in the last few months. But when I look at Antony... there have been a lot of big transfers in the Premier League recently, but £86 million for him? I think he's a bluffer."
Criticizing the Brazilian forward's style of play, Agbonlahor continued:
"When he gets the ball, he doesn't take players on and he hasn't got the speed to take players on. He doesn't do what Rashford does... he gets the ball and he's direct, he takes players on and then gets balls into the box. And the big thing for me is Antony's number of crosses. He's put in just one and a half crosses per game this season."
