Erik ten Hag lays down rules for unlucky ace

Manchester United don’t seem like the most pleasant employer at the moment, with Erik ten Hag already under pressure to do even better after a disastrous 2023/24 season.

The Dutchman has had a poor start to the season, with the recent win over Southampton doing little to ease the gloomy mood at the club.

With the Red Devils set to take on Barnsley in the Carabao Cup and soon to begin their Europa League campaign, it is clear that they must remain competitive on all fronts.

Erik ten Hag describes his expectations of Antony

To achieve that goal, the manager must ensure that all his players are working in the same direction, even those who are unhappy with the amount of time they get on the pitch.

It is clear that Antony is annoyed that he is on the sidelines, but Ten Hag has lectured the player and explained his reasons for this.

??? Ten Hag: “Antonius fights, fights for his position”.

“That’s what we expect from every player who is in the Man United squad, what they have to do.” photo.twitter.com/VllfK4zmWW

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 16, 2024

??? Erik ten Hag: “Antony has to bounce back and he has the capabilities to do that”.

“If he does the right things, he can compete with the young talents we have.” photo.twitter.com/2E8H3us1Ok

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 16, 2024

??? Ten Hag: “Of course Antony is impatient, he wants to play and fights to play”.

“We have Amad and Garna who have been very effective, Rashford scored this weekend…”.

“Antony has to earn the right in training. The others are doing well, so he has to get over them”. photo.twitter.com/5PnaLO4U3O

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 17, 2024

“Antony is fighting, fighting for his position,” he was quoted as saying by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, formerly Twitter.

“That’s what we expect from every player who is in the Man United squad, what they have to do.

“(…) Antony has to bounce back and he has the capacity to do that. If he does the right things, he can compete with the young talents we have.

“(…) Of course Antony is impatient, he wants to play and fights to play. We have Amad and Garna who have been very effective, Rashford scored at the weekend… Antony has to earn the right to train. The others are doing well, so he has to get over them.”

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For a player who was second only to Paul Pogba in terms of transfer spending – £86m according to Goal – Antony never reached the top.

As Transferkmarkt notes, in the 83 games he has played for the club in all competitions, he has scored just 11 goals and provided five assists.

Top photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images