Erik ten Hag was reportedly one of three major reasons why Manchester United made a move for one player who the Red Devils initially did not want to sign.
The 54-year-old Dutchman was axed from Old Trafford last October after Manchester United’s disastrous start to the 2024-25 Premier League season.
United won only three of their opening nine Premier League matches under Erik ten Hag this season and were 14th in the table at the time of his sacking in 2024.
Ten Hag’s last match in charge of United was a shock 2-1 Premier League defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium.
The former Ajax manager had inked a contract extension with United last summer ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Ten Hag led United to the FA Cup trophy last season with a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Wembley, but the Red Devils finished eighth in the league table under him.
Man Utd made transfer for Ten Hag
According to The Daily Telegraph, Manchester United were hit with a ‘combination’ of three different factors when it came to signing winger Antony in 2022.
Antony played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax and the 24-year-old United star arrived at Old Trafford as part of a big-money transfer.
United dropped a hefty initial transfer fee of £82m to sign Antony from Ajax and the winger has failed to live up to his eye-watering price tag.
Antony, who is under contract with United until 2027, has been met with heavy criticism over his form and lack of impact at Old Trafford.
The Brazil winger was previously linked with United during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign and United only valued him at around £25m to £30m.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the ‘pressure’ applied by Ten Hag was one of the reasons why the Red Devils shifted their stance on Antony.
The newspaper added another factor was United legend Edwin van der Sar, who was chief executive of Ajax, and his ‘challenge to his old club.’
The 54-year-old Dutchman previously said that they pushed United to go as far as they could with their move for Antony.
United kicked off the 2022-23 season with back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford and the ‘calamitous start’ also led the Red Devils to sign the player.
Ten Hag’s stance on Antony
Antony has now been tipped to leave Old Trafford and is expected to sign for La Liga outfit Real Betis in the January transfer window.
United have reportedly agreed to a loan deal for the former Ajax star and Antony will be offloaded for a six-month spell in Spain until the end of the season.
Antony has only managed to score once in 14 appearances across all competitions this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements at United.
The Telegraph revealed that Ten Hag had been ‘clear’ about signing a right winger and Real Betis-bound Antony was his ‘first choice’ all along.
However, United ‘initially appeared reluctant’ to sign the winger from Ajax after the Dutch side made it clear they would not sell him for €60m.
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