2 weeks Ago By Daniel Hepburn
It’s safe to say that Manchester United ’s Antony has flattered to deceive since arriving from Ajax in 2022 for a fee in the region of £82 million but, following his recent performance in the League Cup against Barnsley, the much-maligned Brazilian took to social media to suggest he's ready to fight for his place. Sao Paulo-born Antony , 24, has struggled to assert himself as a senior regular since his move and, despite playing under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, has often been shunted to the sidelines by the Dutchman. This season alone, Ten Hag has a plethora of wingers – Alejandro Garnacho , Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford included – ahead of the Brazil international in his pecking order, hence why he has been reduced to playing just 91 minutes across all competitions since the current campaign got underway in August.
Antony’s Performance vs Barnsley Fans associated with the Old Trafford outfit have become accustomed to watching Antony disappoint in short cameos after, as previously mentioned, having fallen sharply down Ten Hag’s pecking order. But could his performance against Barnsley be a change in his fortunes? For the first time in a while, the Sao Paulo graduate got a full, 90-minute cameo under his belt and, for the most part, impressed on the right. He also opened his goalscoring account for the campaign, dispatching his confidence-boosting effort from the spot.
Despite not being his side’s first-choice penalty taker, Antony earned the right to take fire from 12 yards out after his darting run bamboozled the Barnsley defence. What also pleased supporters, thanks to his penchant for often dwindling on the ball, was his willingness to beat his man and let off a shot; evidenced by his seven shots, two of which were blocked and four of which were on target. Antony Statistics vs Barnsley Minutes 90 Touches 81 Goals 1 Total shots 5 Shot accuracy 4/5 (80%) Dribbles 2 Recoveries 7 Overall rating 8.
9 A bright spark throughout, Antony’s combination play with Rashford , who enjoyed a 'dominating' performance against the League One side , was encouraging to watch with him accurate in his passing – 53/59 completed (90%) – while he also played four balls into the final third. He was also defensively resolute, which could tempt Ten Hag into double-thinking his choice to persistently omit his from the starting line-up, after completing seven recoveries and winning five ground duels. Watch his highlights below: Man Utd Winger Promises to Build on Barnsley Performance Fundamentally, Antony has merely shown glimpses of brilliance during his time spent in M16 – most notably, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win against Arsenal and sealing the win against Barcelona with a wonderfully-taken goal in the Europa League.
That said, for the majority of his Red Devils stint, he has failed to pull up trees – as evidenced by his sub-par return in front of goal. His recent social media post, however, has pulled on the heartstrings of the Old Trafford faithful. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Antony is Manchester United’s second-most expensive signing behind Paul Pogba.
Taking to Instagram in the wake of Manchester United’s 7-0 victory against the League One outfit, Antony promised fans to keep working hard to win more with the 13-time Premier League champions, who have endured a mixed start to the campaign. “What an amazing day! I thank God for it! I got to play, scored a goal, and we won the game! I’ll keep working hard to win more and more with this jersey!” In response, a Manchester United fan on X (formerly Twitter) shared his post, accompanied with the captain of: ‘This actually makes me really sad, Antony clearly wants to do well for this football club.’ Ten Hag: Antony Has to ‘Earn the Right’ to Play for Man Utd Ahead of his side’s League Cup clash with Darrell Clarke’s Barnsley , Ten Hag came out to suggest that Antony, who has recorded 12 goals and a quintet of assists for his current employers, needs to ‘earn the right’ to play for the club, rather than being given opportunities for next to no reason.
Insisting that the wide man in question is ‘impatient’ and wants to be involved in senior proceedings, per BBC Sport, the 54-year-old tactician insisted that he needs to win his place in the team with a string of impressive performances – both on the pitch and in training. Erik ten Hag's recent comments show that one player's Manchester United career is at a make or break stage. “He’s impatient.
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." "The other players are doing so well - they're contributing. He has to get over them.
He has to earn the right in training. "We have everyday training and the players have to earn the right to play. Ten Hag suggested that, regardless of managerial preference, players need to impress in training to worm their way into the starting line-up: “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.
" According to FotMob - correct as of 18/09/24..
