Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has defended misfiring forward Antony by claiming that opposition teams are now making plans for the Brazilian to stop him from ‘killing defenders’.
The Brazilian arrived at Old Trafford for £86m from Dutch giants Ajax last summer but has endured an inconsistent debut campaign. The 23-year-old has scored nine goals in all competitions throughout the season - just three of which have come in the Premier League.
That has seen him receive criticism from pundits and supporters alike with more expected from Antony given the great expense that United spent to secure his services. Ahead of the Red Devils' Europa League quarter-final showdown with habitual winners Sevilla, Ten Hag has claimed that Antony has already shown his promise, whilst opposition sides are also being forced to make substitutions to deal with his threat.
Speaking in a press conference, the Dutchman said: “Of course we expect from the frontline players that they are not only a threat but also they have an effect in the final third. He [Antony] has to work on that but he is a young player.
“You mention he is not scoring in the Premier League but he did against Betis, a really important goal just after half-time, and against Barcelona, the winner, so you can't say they are not big games.
“If you can do it in such games, you can also do it in Premier League games but like with many more players, you have to step up and we have to step up as well and win games together.
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“That is my experience with him, he is a fighter and he likes challenges and with him teams are winning. That is why he is in the Selecao [Brazil national team] and selected in the starting XI for the Selecao.
“He is a very young player, he can kill opponents, we saw on Saturday against Everton the manager brings another left-back on at half-time because he is killing the player.”
Antony netted a goal in each of his first three Premier League outings for United but has not found the net in the league since October. Regardless, he played a key role in the Red Devils ending their trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup against Newcastle.
However, that is not the first trophy he has lifted under the stewardship of the Dutchman. He won two Eredivisie titles and a Dutch Cup during their time together with former club Ajax.
After Thursday’s clash with Sevilla, Antony will no doubt be hoping to end his long Premier League goal drought at the weekend. The Red Devils take on struggling Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.
