Antony’s Manchester United debut was reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s early appearances for the club, particularly with his bravery on the ball, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Erik ten Hag’s side beat Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, with their new signing scoring the opening goal, and the Dutchman may have another future superstar on his hands.

How did Antony’s debut go?

The Brazilian only completed his move to United on deadline day, after an £86 million fee was finally accepted by Ajax following a lengthy chase.

Having played for the reigning Eredivisie champions, he is a player Ten Hag knows very well, scoring 22 times in 79 games under his leadership.

It was no big surprise, then, to see him thrown straight into the starting XI for the clash with an, at the time, unbeaten Arsenal side.

After a few early flicks and tricks, the 22-year-old was played in on goal by Marcus Rashford and he placed his left-footed shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale and into the bottom corner.

The player’s celebration will have done his standing among supporters little harm either, as Antony kissed the badge in front of a jubilant crowd.

What has Jones said on his debut?

Jones has claimed that Antony’s bravery on the ball is something that will be adored by the Old Trafford faithful.

The journalist says that Ronaldo behaved similarly after he joined Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in 2003 and hinted the Brazilian could follow the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s path.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Not everything he’s trying is working. But that was the case when Ronaldo first came into this team and, obviously Ronaldo was younger when he first came into United, I can remember him trying stuff that was just ridiculous at times and he would even look silly. But he kept going and going and going and the United fans love that.”

How did Ronaldo’s United career start?

It has been more than 19 years since Ronaldo made his debut for the Red Devils, coming on to replace Nicky Butt in the 61st minute against Bolton Wanderers.

But the Portuguese would have to wait until his ninth Premier League appearance to find the back of the net for the first time. So, in that respect, Antony is ahead of the club legend.

Scoring on your debut for United, however, is no guarantee of greatness. Federico Macheda, Giuseppe Rossi, Alexander Buttner and Romelu Lukaku all did likewise but saw their careers with the club fizzle out.

Ronaldo currently boasts a record of 142 goals in 336 appearances for United and Antony will likely be delighted if he can claim a record anywhere close to that.