Despite all of the positives from Manchester United’s victory over Wolves, there were a few negatives to boot.
The manner in which Manchester United surrendered their lead in the Midlands and how open the Red Devils were for the counter-attack that led to Pedro Neto’s brilliantly taken equaliser will surely be cause for concern for Erik ten Hag.
A stunning Kobbie Mainoo goal got Manchester United the 4-3 victory in the end but it should have been much more comfortable on the night.
As for player performances, there were a few standouts but, on the other side, another cameo from the club’s big-money signings went awry.
Antony’s struggles
After scoring and assisting against Newport County in the 4-2 victory over the Welsh side in the FA Cup, perhaps there was a tiny semblance of hope that Antony could recreate this form for United.
However, when the former Ajax winger came on the pitch for United, replacing Marcus Rashford, who looks somewhere back to his best after a well-taken goal in the early knockings of the game, he struggled hugely.
The Brazilian lost the ball in the build-up to Wolves’ equaliser, taking too much time in possession, and going forward the 23-year-old failed to offer any sort of creativity in the final third, looking to be frustrating his teammates.
Alejandro Garnacho has now usurped Antony in the starring lineup and rightly so with the Argentine unfortunate to not have a hattrick of assists with United’s poor finishing costing them.
The academy graduate has started the last 18 successive games for the Red Devils and he has really come into his own which has spelled bad news for Antony.
Despite this, Ten Hag has tried the Brazilian in a new position.
Antony’s new position
When he replaced Rashford in the second half, there was an unfamiliar feel about Antony as he lined up on the left for the Red Devils with Garnacho remaining out on the right.
The Brazilian took up that position when he set up Bruno Fernandes’ opener during the FA Cup victory over Newport so this seemed like another attempt to try and coax the best out of the 23-year-old but to no avail.
During the game, according to Sofascore, He completed just 50 per cent of his passes and 25 per cent of the dribbles he attempted during the game.
As well as this, he only won three out of the seven ground duels he competed in and was struggling out there.
For Ten Hag, ahead of the home game against West Ham United, remaining with the same front three looks to be an easy decision.
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