Erik ten Hag has shown himself to be a deft man-manager this season.
He may not get the credit for it as he isn't a happy-go-lucky, jack the lad with the gift of the gab that has got so many other failed managers countless undeserving jobs purely on the basis of their people skills, but it's clear just how good he is at managing a large group of young, millionaire footballers. Not everyone is these days, just ask Jose Mourinho.
You only needed to watch the jubilant scenes after United lifted the Carabao Cup to see the close relationship Ten Hag has already fostered with his squad and what he means to his players. Lisandro Martinez and Antony, two who have known him longer than anyone else, acted like kids dragging their reluctant father to the dance floor as they cornered Ten Hag, but the Dutchman then joined in with their moves for some lovely scenes.
Also read: Bellingham is ready for the role Ten Hag wants him to take on at United
It takes a lot of love to get to that point and sometimes it needs to be tough. It's not all been sunshine and rainbows with Ten Hag and at times he's had to lay down the law and bring back long-lost discipline to the club. As he said himself last month: "I have certain rules [that] must be [followed] off the pitch because when there is no discipline in the rules off the pitch, it will transfer on the pitch."
It doesn't matter who you are. If you run afoul of those rules there will be consequences. Cristiano Ronaldo was left at home for the game following his refusal to go on against Tottenham and when he went nuclear on the club with his interview he was subsequently let go. Even Marcus Rashford, the main source of goals, was dropped from the starting XI after he overslept and missed a team meeting.
The professional environment coupled with a tactical framework has led to dramatic improvements this season and several players have benefitted. A lot of the squad looked as though their days at Old Trafford were numbered after last season's disaster but have now improved significantly. Rashford is the posterchild but Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, Fred, David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and now maybe even Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire have all got better and are playing with renewed confidence.
At every turn, Ten Hag has said the right thing at the right time to get the best out of each player and now it's the turn of Antony to be on the end of his motivational tactics. The Brazilian has had a solid start to life in Manchester and scored some crucial goals, but isn't having the consistent impact on games you want from an £80million signing. Ten Hag has challenged him to do more.
"Of course, we expect from frontline players that they are not only a threat but also they have effect in the final thing and he has to work on that, of course," Ten Hag said. "But he is a young player.
"When you see his record - you mention he is not scoring Premier League- but he did against Betis a really important goal after half time. He did score against Barcelona, the winner, you can’t say they are not big games. He also scored in cup games. If you can do it in such games you can also do it in Premier League games, so I don't have a concern about that.
"But like many more players, you have to step up and he has to step up as well. We have to win games together. That is my experience with him. He is a fighter and he likes challenges and with him in the team the team is winning. That is why is in the Selecao (Brazil national team) and also why he is often selected in the starting 11.
"He is still a very young player, he can kill opponents. We see on Saturday, the Everton manager brings on another player at half-time because he is killing the left full-back. He is able to do it. Burt also for him, it counts, you have to do it every game, because he is capable of doing it."
Classic. The carrot and the stick. The criticism and the compliment. Bigging him up but asking for more. It's textbook management, showing his belief in the player but setting him the goal of reaching greater heights. Ten Hag knows how much of a threat Antony can be. As he said, he gave poor Ben Godfrey heart palpitations in the win over Everton, but it needs to be much more of a constant.
And it needs to start on Thursday. United have a massive quarter-final first leg against Sevilla and will have to make a strong start. Regardless of their struggles in La Liga, Sevilla remain masters of the Europa League and United have never beaten them in three previous meetings.
But with Rashford sidelined alongside Alejandro Garnacho, and Anthony Martial without a start in three months, United are lacking attacking options. Antony will be the forward with the most appearances under his belt that starts and United need him to step up and take responsibility.
Rashford has scored a massive portion of the side's goals and his absence immediately put them at a disadvantage. Antony will be tasked with replicating the danger he brings and it's a perfect chance for him to show he can rise to Ten Hag's challenge. The United boss has seen his man-management get the best out of nearly everyone this season and now he needs it work again with Antony.
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