Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has put a dampener on Manchester United’s hopes of signing Antony by claiming the winger is staying put.

New United boss Erik ten Hag has already suffered plenty of transfer frustration this summer. And his old club look like heaping more woe on the Dutch boss by blocking Antony’s route to Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has already raided the Eredivisie club for Lisandro Martinez, while Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen have all signed.

Full-back Malacia though was not thought to be Ten Hag’s first choice target. United only turned to the Feyenoord man when Ajax star Jurrien Timber refused to make the switch to United. 

Ten Hag has also failed, thus far, to lure Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. The Holland star is understood to be unwilling to leave Barcelona despite United agreeing an initial £56m fee.

Now Schreuder has said that Antony is set to remain with Ajax despite concrete interest from United.

Speaking to ESPN Netherlands on Friday, Schreuder said: “I really think he will stay,” Schreuder said. “Of course, we have sold a lot of players now. That has not happened in recent years.

“We have also bought players. But we have sold so many players that I assume nobody will leave.”

When asked if he has agreed on a dateline to allow players to leave, he replied: “No, we did not discuss that. But we do talk to each other daily.

“I assume that no one is leaving. If we sell one more key player, it wouldn’t be good for us.”

United looked to be making headway in their pursuit of Antony on Friday. His agent has travelled to the U.K. for official negotiations, according to the Daily Mirror.

Ajax have also signed a direct replacement in the form of Portuguese forward Francisco Conceicao. The 19-year-old has signed a five-year deal after arriving from Porto.

Technical director Gerry Hamstra told  AD: “So, Conceicao is another example of bringing the successor, in this case Antony, into your selection. We now want to keep this group together. I assume that no one leaves this core anymore. Of course, you can never say never, I’ve learned that by now.”

But United now look to be up against it after seeing a £51m bid for the Brazilian rejected at the start of the month.

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