Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag praises attacker after string of impressive performances

After a strong showing in the 4-3 loss to Chelsea, Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has tasked Antony with keeping up his current level of play. For over £85.5 million (€100 million), Antony left Ajax to join Manchester United in 2022, although he hasn't exactly lived up to the high expectations associated with such an expensive deal.

But after a run of impressive cameos off the United bench, one of which was an equaliser in the team's most recent FA Cup victory versus Liverpool, the winger was rewarded on Thursday at Stamford Bridge with the league's first start of 2024.

After giving away a penalty early on, Antony made up for it by providing an excellent assist for Alejandro Garnacho's subsequent strike after the break. Despite the Red Devils' eventual 4-3 loss, the Brazilian's performance was a clear improvement.

What did Erik Ten Hag say about Manchester United winger Antony?

Erik Ten Hag spoke on Antony's performance versus Chelsea in a club Q&A, noting that it achieved the calibre of play he expects to see more frequently as United prepares to visit Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday.

The Manchester United manager said, "I know he's capable of it. I've seen it so often, when I was manager of Ajax, but we haven't seen this.”

He said, "Maybe in the start [of Antony's United career] we've seen a glimpse, in the first three games when he scored three goals, but after that, [only] incidentally, like against Barcelona last season when he scored the winning goal, but he's capable of it. Yesterday night, I saw the Antony I want to see."

Even though Antony's first Premier League campaign in 2022–2023 saw him record four assists as well as two assists, he didn't contribute a goal until his twenty-fourth appearance of the season. The winger has been showing signs of progress in recent times and would be in line to start against Liverpool later today at the iconic Old Trafford stadium.