Antony hammered for "horrible" Man Utd performance as Ten Hag's tactic fails

30 December 2023 , 19:33

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Antony hammered for "horrible" Man Utd performance as Ten Hag's tactic fails

Antony saw his evening end after 54 minutes following another below par display for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag was forced into changes.

The Brazilian was brought into the starting XI after Rasmus Hojlund was ruled out through illness, leading to a rejig in the forward line. Marcus Rashford slotted into a central role with Antony getting another opportunity to address his poor form out wide.

The £87million signing has continued to underdeliver and struggled to impact a United side that were deservedly beaten at Nottingham Forest. Antony didn't make the hour mark having been part of a team that failed to assert any authority on the contest, eventually being replaced by Amad Diallo.

Sky Sports ' Jamie Redknapp said on the visitors: "It’s been horrible at times, especially down that right-hand side. There is no connection and no appetite to play at times."

Paul Robinson echoed that sentiment whilst on BBC duty: “It's another game without a goal or an assist or a contribution for Antony. His touches must be minimal. It's tough because he doesn't set the fee they paid for him but the minimum you expect from a player is maximum effort. And you don't want to question a player's effort.”

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Ten Hag had hinted that, in a much changed United forward line, Antony would be able to prosper due to specific aspects of their game plan. He told MUTV: "[Antony] will have a good feeling. It is also a good opportunity for him to show that we have coached a lot and trained a lot about runs in behind, and we expect that from all [players] but especially the front line."

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Antony has failed to come up with a goal or an assist this term despite being given constant minutes. He only came up with one assist in the final seven games of last season with his most recent league goal coming against Nottingham Forest back in April.

The 23-year-old, who scored on his debut against Arsenal last season, has only managed to score seven more times since that statement introduction. He is the latest in a long line of players who've been bought for huge sums but fallen short of expectations with his future at Old Trafford by no means guaranteed.

Samuel Meade