Manchester United's Brazilian winger, Antony, is growing increasingly 'impatient' over his lack of first-team opportunities, according to the club's manager Erik ten Hag. Despite being one of the club’s most expensive signings ever, Antony now finds himself as the fifth choice at Old Trafford.
Antony has had a frustrating season so far with only one minute of game time under his belt. His sole appearance came as a late substitute in Manchester United's defeat to Brighton in August. This lack of playtime comes despite an £85 million transfer from Ajax in 2022 that made him the second most expensive signing in Manchester United’s history after Paul Pogba.
During his tenure at Manchester, Antony has contributed 10 goals and five assists. However, this season he seems to have fallen out of favor with ten Hag preferring other options for wide positions.
Ten Hag’s preferred choices
Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford have emerged as ten Hag’s preferred first-choice wide options this season. Alejandro Garnacho is also being gradually reintegrated into the team following a busy Copa America campaign with Argentina during summer.
All three players have found their names on the score sheet this season which further solidifies their position in the team. Ten Hag emphasized that Antony must ‘earn the right’ to play through impressive performances during training sessions.
Erik ten Hag, Manchester United manager, said:
‘Two players developed from [when they were youngsters] into the team, into the selection. Now he [Antony] has to bounce back and he has the abilities to do it, If he is doing the right thing, he can make competition with them.
‘The other players are doing so well, they’re contributing. We have Amad, Garna – very effective. Rashford scoring at the weekend. So he has to earn the right in training but the others are doing really well. He has to get over them. Of course he’s impatient. He wants to play and he’s fighting to play.’
No guarantees for future games
Despite Antony's frustration over limited chances, ten Hag was unable to guarantee him a starting position when United face Barnsley in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday night.
Garnacho and Amad are significant obstacles standing between Antony and more playing time. Garnacho joined United’s academy as a 16-year-old back in 2020 while Amad arrived from Atalanta for an initial fee of £19 million. Both have shown immense promise, with Amad impressing during a loan spell at Sunderland and in spells back at Old Trafford last season.
Ten Hag has urged Antony to step up his game and give him a tough decision to make regarding team selection. This situation presents a challenge for the Brazilian international who must now prove his worth on the training ground to secure more first-team opportunities. Antony's journey at Manchester United is proving to be more challenging than expected. However, with determination and hard work in training, he could turn things around and regain his place in the starting lineup.
