Ajax chief Edwin van der Sar says Manchester United have signed a "world star" in Antony.

Antony followed Lisandro Martinez and former Ajax coach Edwin ten Hag to Old Trafford in a £85m deal.

“I spoke with United about Erik, with Richard Arnold. Erik did a fantastic job here, put Ajax back on the European map with the players we had," he told The Athletic.

“You know in hindsight that managers like the players they work with, the type of football Erik wanted to play, and with Martinez there he has shown his worth now. There were question marks initially, but the way he can read the game, how aggressive he is — what he doesn't have in centimetres he makes up for in other qualities.

“(Antony is) Still young, still potential. We would have liked to keep him here one year longer — there was not a dire need to sell him, we had money in the bank — but the fee got so high. We challenged United to go as far as possible. They have a potential world star."