Erik ten Hag has issued a warning against Manchester United star Antony ahead of Tuesday evening’s Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley at Old Trafford.
United returned to winning ways on Saturday when they beat Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s and begin their quest for their first silverware of the season against the League One side.
Brazilian winger Antony hasn’t had the best start to the campaign and has featured just once, coming on as an 89th minute substitute in the defeat to Brighton and will be hoping for a chance in the cup.
Ten Hag sends message to Antony
Ten Hag have preferred to use Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo in wide areas above the Brazil international, but the game against Barnsley offers the 24-year-old a chance to get his first start of the season.
However, speaking ahead of the game, Ten Hag had a stern warning for the winger, saying he must earn the right to play and show the right attitude.
“Tomorrow you will see what the lineup will be” he told reporters.
“We train every day and the players have to earn the right to play. When the players do the right thing in training and the attitude is good, and when they show performance in training, they will earn the right to play.”
It’s fair to say that since Antony arrived from Ajax for around £86m in 2022, he has failed to live up to expectations and failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.
In fact, the former Ajax man scored just three goals in 38 games in all competitions last season, two of which came against League Two Newport in the FA Cup.
It looks like chances will be few and far between for Antony this season, and when they do come, he really needs to make the most of them, as it’s unclear when he’ll get his next chance.
Top photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images
