Ten Hag ready to go to war with Ratcliffe over Man Utd flop Antony

Tom Weber

Updated: 20 Feb 2024 09:30 GMT
3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Erik ten Hag, Man Utd — © IMAGO

There could be something of a civil war at Manchester United over the future of Antony, according to a report.

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Held up as a symbol of Man Utd's failed transfer policy of recent years, particularly as an indictment of Erik ten Hag and his influence over deals, Antony has not had an easy time of it at Old Trafford, especially this season.

In addition to dealing with domestic abuse allegations, the Brazilian has failed to perform on the pitch, still not recording a single goal contribution in Premier League play this term, his only goal of the season coming against fourth-tier Newport County in the FA Cup.

Ten Hag had insisted on signing his former Ajax protégé in the summer of 2022 and a desperate United eventually shelled out €95 million in what has since gone down as one of the worst pieces of business in Premier League history.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose acquisition of a 25 per cent minority stake in the club was approved last week, and his incoming front office reinforcements are expected to run Man Utd much more ruthlessly than under previous regimes and this could put them on a collision course with Ten Hag over Antony.

Ten Hag wants to keep the faith

According to GIVEMESPORT, Ten Hag is willing to give Antony another chance next season. The Dutchman recognises that the 23-year-old has underwhelmed, dropping him for breakout star Alejandro Garnacho in recent weeks, but he has not yet given up on the Brazilian.

It is claimed that Ten Hag has no intention of offloading Antony in the summer, not even on loan, but that Man Utd's new hierarchy, which is expected to be supplemented by Newcastle director Dan Ashworth in the near future, will be keen to shift the winger and his big wages.

The Brazilian is "already in the firing line" and his lack of production makes him a prime candidate to be moved on in a bid to raise funds and free up space in the squad for upgrades on the current crop of Red Devils players.