Antony Must Earn Right To Play For Manchester United Says Erik Ten Hag

Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag says that Brazilian winger, Antony has to “earn the right” to play for the EPL giants.

Antony moved from Ajax as the second-most expensive player in history for Man United. He moved in a record signing for £82m in 2022. The most expensive player for the Red Devils is Paul Pogba, in a move from Juventus.

However, the Brazilian forward has only scored five goals and made three assists in 55 Premier League appearances. Also, he just contributed one goal and one assist last season which saw United finish eighth in the league.

The 24-year-old has only had a single minute of competitive action this season, at Brighton last month, as Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo have been chosen ahead of him.

Anthony is hopeful for more involvement in Tuesday’s Carabao cup third-round tie against Barnsley. However, the coach says the player is in charge of his own destiny.

“He’s impatient,” said Ten Hag. “He wants to play.

“But in top football there are laws. You pick the team that has most chance to win the game, the one with the best dynamic, the best chemistry. Players have to fight for their positions.”

Antony Has A Lot Of Pressure From United’s Forwards

Antony faces a lot of competition and pressure form his fellow teammates Rashford, Garnacho and Amad who all have scored this season. He [Antony] was previously rumoured and linked with a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce before the closure of the transfer window.

“The other players are doing so well – they’re contributing,” said Ten Hag. “He has to get over them. He has to earn the right in training.”

Talking about the game on Tuesday, Ten Hag said, “You will see what the line-up will be.

“We have every day training and the players have to earn the right to play.

“When players do the right thing in training, when the attitude is good, when they show performance in training, they will earn the right to play.”

Antony Stats At United

The Brazilian has had a mixed performance since joining United from Ajax. Here are some of his key stats:

2023/2024 Season

• Premier League: Played 29 matches, scored 1 goal, and provided 1 assist. He also had 13 shots on target and received 5 yellow cards.
• UEFA Champions League: Played 4 matches, no goals or assists, and received 1 yellow card.

2024/2025 Season (so far)

• Premier League: Played 1 match, no goals or assists.

Despite the stats, he has shown flashes of brilliance, but consistency has been a challenge.

Read about Ten Hag’s rejection on Ronaldo’s criticism.