Antony makes Ten Hag eat the leek

1 year ago

Antony has been in poor form in recent months, especially finding it difficult to beat defenders and exploit space on the flanks.

The Poor Performent

Since joining Manchester United , Antony has not been able to perform up to expectations but is still regularly featured in the starting XI. Speaking on The Football Show , football journalist Tim Vickery said that Ten Hag is trusting his beloved pupil:

"Man Utd paid Antony a much higher transfer fee than a young player. Now, Ten Hag knows exactly what he will get, and Ten Hag trusts Antony, even excessively." .

"Ten Hag has really raised the bar for Antony. He's so much better at coming up with his options. He's going to go back in defense and do a lot more."

"Ten Hag could look at Antony like, 'Look at my boy, look what I've done to him!' Maybe Ten Hag trusted him too much."

After 34 appearances in all competitions this season, Antony contributed 9 goals and 3 assists.

What Ten Hag said about Antony

"He (Antony)  must transform and become more dynamic," coach Erik ten Hag explained to the media. "He needs the support of the teammates around him, and also needs to know how to coordinate with the teammates. That's the area he needs to improve."

Antony had an assist in MU's 3-1 win over Reading in the fourth round of the FA Cup this season. However, overall, the performance of the Brazilian winger in recent times has not been too impressive. That's why Ten Hag wants the former Ajax star to change his game.

"We have to test him (Antony), and if you make demands like that, it forces him to adapt and adjust his way of playing in the game," the Dutchman said.

Antony started in MU's last 3 matches in all competitions. However, he did not play impressively in the Premier League when the "Red Devils" had two bad results against Crystal Palace (draw 1-1) and Arsenal (lost 2-3).

The 22-year-old hasn't had an assist or goal in the Premier League since October 9, 2022, when he netted Everton . In the last 8 matches played in the English Premier League, Antony did not score or assist. The play style of the player born in 2000 was criticized for being cumbersome and not highly mutated.

However, Ten Hag believes that this is only Antony's first season in the Premier League and the player has plenty of time to improve. "I think he (Antony) still has a lot of opportunities and potential to improve himself," the MU captain concluded.