Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has defended the quickness of winger Antony.
United are back in action once again this evening, taking on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
A repeat of last year’s run to the final would be welcomed and United need a response after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
We may see some chances for fringe players tonight and the game may even provide a chance for Antony to shine.
The winger enjoyed a fine game against Forest in April, bagging a goal and an assist in a 2-0 United win.
Erik ten Hag will want more of the same tonight and has now defended his Brazilian wide man.
Antony defended by Erik ten Hag
One of the more disappointing aspects of Antony’s United career is that his pace has seemed a little disappointing.
We don’t often see Antony blazing past a full back and it’s actually more common that we see him slowing down United attacks.
Ten Hag is adamant about Antony’s athletic ability though, suggesting that he is very quick over the first 10 yards.
Some players are quick rather than fast, with Ten Hag believing that Antony’s short-area speed is impressive.
When pressed about those comments, Ten Hag told United’s official website that he has noticed Antony’s quickness even if others haven’t, claiming that he may just not be showing it.
Ten Hag was again pressed on the subject as one reporter suggested that Antony is ‘slow’ and ‘one-paced’, highlighting that showing pace isn’t related to confidence.
The United boss responded by highlighting two goals from last season which showed Antony as ‘very quick’, with Ten Hag adamant that nobody is quicker over 10 yards.
“I noticed that but maybe it’s that he’s not showing it,” said Ten Hag. “I thought the goal against Arsenal and the goal against Everton were two things where he was very quick. So I said, in the first ten yards, I don’t think there’s a player quicker than Antony,” he added.
Antony reaching crunch time
We can’t really progress to having seen much pace or quickness from Antony during his time at United.
There is some skill in Antony’s locker but few defenders have struggled in terms of athleticism against him.
Ten Hag is clearly backing his winger and he almost has to; he is the man who brought Antony to United in a huge deal.
Ten Hag saw Antony at Ajax and really needed this signing to work as United backed him with a raid on his former club.
The move really hasn’t worked though and that Ten Hag is bringing up moments from more than 18 months ago sums it up.
Reports indicate that United are now willing to sell Antony at the end of the season, so whilst Ten Hag is backing Antony, the Brazilian may be entering the last chance saloon.
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