Jadon Sancho finally got off the mark for Aston Villa following his loan from Manchester United and received a message from former team-mate Antony after doing so
Antony
Antony sent a message to Jadon Sancho(Image: Antony sent a message to Jadon Sancho)
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Antony has celebrated former team-mate Jadon Sancho after the Manchester United loanee finally got off the mark for Aston Villa. The ex-Borussia Dortmund star scored against Fenerbahce in the Europa League to earn a victory for Unai Emery's side.
United signed Sancho and Antony in consecutive summers for a total summing more than £150million but failed to get the best out of either at Old Trafford. Both players spent time on loan last season, at Chelsea and Real Betis respectively, before being part of the club's bomb squad in the summer.
Exits did not come quickly as their moves came late in the window, with Antony finally reaching an agreement on a permanent transfer to Betis, while Sancho linked up with Aston Villa, with his United contract set to expire in the summer.
The 25-year-old Antony once again settled quickly in La Liga and has recorded eight goals and seven assists in 20 matches across the Spanish top-flight and Europa League. Success has been harder to come by for Sancho, though.
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The England international has featured 19 times for Villa, starting more frequently in Europe than the Premier League. His header to defeat Fenerbahce marked his first goal contribution for the Midlands club.
Few appeared happier for Sancho than Antony, who responded to the winger's Instagram post commemorating his success. "My brother," said the Brazilian star in the comments, accompanied by clapping emojis and a red heart.
"I'm just really delighted that I got my first goal for Aston Villa," Sancho said following his goal. "It means a lot to me.
Jadon Sancho and Antony
Jadon Sancho and Antony appeared close when facing off last season(Image: Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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"I don't really remember how it got to the right side, but I can just remember it got whipped in. I saw Ollie (Watkins) in front of me, and I think the defender flicked it on, and it was just perfect.
"It was perfect timing, straight onto my head, and I felt good when I connected with the ball.
"You saw me pointing at the bench when I scored. Kind of an inside joke – I was pointing at Ezri [Konsa] on the end because we were practising headers the other week. They were telling me I would never score a header, so it was kind of funny!"
Sancho is loving life under Emery it seems, despite a slow start. The loanee appeared to take a swipe at his previous managers following his goal.
He said: "It's nice to have a manager who backs you and obviously believes in you," in a thinly-veiled dig at his former United bosses before adding: "Again, every opportunity I get, I'm going to try and do 100%, and hopefully I can deliver more goals."