Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag sent a’message to INEOS’ by not starting Antony in the defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford, and journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT it demonstrates that the Dutch tactician will refuse to give the winger game time ‘at any cost to the team’.
Although the Red Devils entered a new era last week, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe completing his purchase of a minority stake in the club after overcoming the Football Association and Premier League approval hurdles, they were defeated 2-1 by Cottagers winger Alex Iwobi in stoppage time.
The defeat interrupted a run of five consecutive victories, jeopardising their chances of making a late push for Champions League qualifying, and one of ten Hag’s most shocking decisions in the defeat to Fulham was starting academy graduate Omari Forson ahead of Antony.
Antony is set to be put on the market by Red Devils
Manchester United are expected to consider offers for Antony when the summer transfer window opens, according to the Manchester Evening News, as Ratcliffe has set his sights on overseeing a major squad overhaul that could see more than ten current squad members embark on new challenges.
According to the report, the Red Devils intend to be more proactive in the seller’s market in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, with Casemiro and Raphael Varane – the highest-paid players on the Old Trafford giants’ books – among those who may leave in the coming months.
Antony has only scored once since the season began, in an FA Cup third round win over League Two club Newport County in January, and statistics show that he has been far less productive in the final third of the pitch than fellow wide man Alejandro Garnacho.
