Jainil Shah
Erik ten Hag keen to see exit-linked Manchester United flop to turn his fortunes around
According to a report by Daily Mail, Manchester United were planning to to cut losses on their £84 million singing Antony but Erik ten Hag still retains hope of turning the player’s fortunes around.
The Brazilian winger has struggled to find his footing at Old Trafford. Expectations were high when Manchester United paid a record fee to acquire his services in September 2022.
However, he has not only failed to meet those expectations but was also overlooked by Erik ten Hag in favor of 19-year-old academy starlet Omari Forson to start over Antony on the right-wing in Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford over the weekend.
Antony has had a poor season, managing just one goal and one assist in 26 appearances across all competitions in the ongoing campaign. His only goal came against Newport County in the FA Cup, during Manchester United’s 4-2 win. Since then, he has not started a game.
His lack of form has led to limited playing time, with the Brazilian featuring for only 19 minutes as a substitute in his last three Premier League appearances.
With his struggles, it appears that his time at Old Trafford may be coming to an end, although Erik ten Hag does not share this view.
Ten Hag backing Antony
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has expressed confidence in the Brazilian’s potential success at the club. He described Antony as “unstoppable” when performing at his best, drawing from their time together at Ajax.
Ten Hag has defended Antony, acknowledging that the winger needs to start converting his opportunities. In an interview with The Athletic, the Dutch boss emphasized the importance of Antony capitalizing on his chances.
“Antony, I’ve backed him for a long time. I know his abilities, he has great abilities. When he plays how I know from the past, he’s unstoppable. No defender can stop him because he’s one of the quickest players in the first 10 yards.
“I’m sure, I’m confident he will do it in future. I know he’s resilient, he’s a character and he will fight back. I back him and now he has to wait for his chance. Once he’s there he has to take it.”
Erik ten Hag was also asked whether the off field issues are reason behind Antony’s current form, and he went on to respond:
“Not anymore but it definitely has had. Now he’s left this behind but for a moment in the season it had an impact on him, you could see in his performance in his, in his attitude, but now he’s back. It affected him and the process is still going, now he has to turn the point and to bring his big potential in again. Therefore you have to fight and there you have to give every day the maximum. I see in the training he’s doing and he will turn the corner.
The Red Devils boss does hint that the Brazilian not being in the best of mental spaces. But as a top player, the onus will be on him to do his doing on the field and make a telling difference for his side.
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Despite the backing from the boss, Antony’s future at Manchester United remains uncertain. Sir Jim Ratcliffe will likely review the Brazilian’s performance during his time at the club before making a decision, which currently appears to be unfavorable for Antony.
