Sunday, May 5News That Matters

Ten Hag prepared to protect Man Utd player in the ‘firing line’ under Ratcliffe

Erik ten Hag is said to be open to giving another opportunity to one of his Manchester United players, despite the player facing criticism from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.

Recently, it was announced that Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have acquired a minority ownership stake in United.

As reported in the previous year, the British billionaire and his team are poised to assume control of the football operations at the club, while the Glazers will oversee the commercial aspects.

During his first sit-down interview since the news, Ratcliffe sent a warning to Manchester City and Liverpool, saying: “We have a lot to learn from our noisy neighbour and the other neighbour.

“They are the enemy at the end of the day. There is nothing I would like better than to knock both of them from their perch.”

Reports have indicated that Ratcliffe is willing to offload up to 11 players in a significant summer overhaul.

Nevertheless, recent claims suggest that United manager Ten Hag is prepared to offer Brazilian winger Antony, who is allegedly under scrutiny, another opportunity.

Journalist Steven Bates said, via Utd District: “Ten Hag wants more from Antony, and will resist attempts to offload the winger, even on loan, despite Antony being in the ‘firing line’ by INEOS. Ten Hag wants to give Antony another chance despite his underwhelming performances.”

In 2022, Antony departed Dutch club Ajax for United in a transfer valued at a reported £82 million.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old has yet to justify his hefty price tag, delivering a series of underwhelming performances.

Throughout this season, the winger has only mustered one goal and one assist in 25 outings across all competitions.

Speaking last month, Ten Hag spoke about Antony: “First year he was OK, in the pre-season he was very OK, first four games [of this season] he was very good.

“But from the moment he was out and then he came back, he didn’t deliver the performance we should expect from him and he can do so much better.”

He added: “His end product in Ajax was very high and he could return to that level. The Premier League is more difficult but he’s capable of doing that.”

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