REVEALED: Erik ten Hag secretly admits he got £85m Man United transfer verdict wrong

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has not provided Antony with any opportunities thus far this season.

Manchester United’s wide options have gained a significantly healthier appearance as a result of the departures of Jadon Sancho and Facundo Pellistri this summer.

United had six wingers on their rosters at the start of the summer transfer window, each of whom would have been soliciting regular game time from Erik ten Hag. It would have been unthinkable for the United manager to maintain the satisfaction of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Pellistri, Sancho, Antony, and Amad, despite the possibility of encountering a more congested fixture list than ever before. The list necessitated reduction.

United has now secured a manageable number of wingers by offloading Pellistri, who joined Panathinaikos, and Sancho, who completed an 11th-hour transfer to Chelsea on deadline day. It should suffice to sustain them throughout the season without many complications.

Rashford and Amad, who occupied the left and right flank positions, respectively, started each of United’s first three games. However, Garnacho made his first start of the season against Liverpool at Old Trafford last Sunday, replacing Amad.

Antony, on the other hand, has been entirely excluded from the game thus far, having only played one minute of football. The final occasion he started was in the 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace on May 6. He has been excluded from Ten Hag’s last 13 starting lineups, which includes pre-season friendlies.

The former’s decision to consistently neglect Antony in recent months suggests that he is beginning to acknowledge that he made a mistake, given that it was Ten Hag who advocated for Antony’s transfer to Old Trafford from Ajax during the 2022 summer transfer window.Antony has made 83 competitive appearances for United, scoring 11 goals and registering five assists. He also made three substitute appearances during the pre-season tour of the United States. In his inaugural season with the organisation, he recorded 11 of the 16 direct goal contributions.

Antony has failed to demonstrate sufficient consistency or excellence to qualify for the XI. Amad has finally been granted the opportunity he deserves, and Garnacho has progressed at an accelerated pace over the past 18 months.

Ten Hag’s decision to restrict Antony’s playing time implies that he has privately lost patience with the winger, despite the fact that he would never publicly criticise him or any member of his squad. Antony is currently at the bottom of the pecking order.

Antony is now confronted with an apparent insurmountable obstacle: to recover his place in Ten Hag’s mind. United’s supporters have been impatient with the 24-year-old for an extended period of time, and it appears that the Dutchman has also reached this conclusion in recent months.