United star Antony unpacked a cabinet piece in the Europa League game against Sheriff Tiraspol and delighted the fans. But his trick was not so well received everywhere – Erik ten Hag then took a stand.
After Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol, there was a lot of talk about what Antony did in the 37th minute. The winger received the ball down the right side and made two full turns before playing a pass wide.
While many fans enjoyed the spectacle, others were less impressed. BT Sport commentator Robbie Savage called the action “embarrassing”.
When asked what he thought of it, ten Hag stressed that he had no problem with such tricks serving a purpose – but he would reprimand his player if they didn’t and he only pulls off such actions for fun and frolic would.
“I have no problem with it as long as it has a function,” said the United boss after the game.
“I demand more from him too – more runs backwards, more often into the penalty area and above all more speed dribbles and more play in depth. We demand more dominance in his game – and if there is a trick like that, it’s nice.”
“As long as it works, if you don’t lose the ball and tie the players, it’s okay. But if it’s a trick just for a trick, then I’ll correct it,” ten Hag made clear.
Antony came on at half-time, leading to speculation he was penalized by ten Hag for the trick, but the United boss revealed it was planned from the start.
“It was more or less planned,” said ten Hag. “I wanted to see Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Marcus] Rashford close together, that was one of the reasons. And [Alejandro] Garnacho played pretty well, that was good to see. It was more or less planned.”
This article was originally published on 90min.com/DE as Antony trick causes a stir: ten Hag with a clear message.
