Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag played down talks suggesting Antony is a growing source of frustration for his Red Devils team-mates following the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Ten Hag's troops have one foot in the Carabao Cup final after their dominant semi-final display at the City Ground, but it was another night to forget for the £86million man. United's second-most expensive player of all-time has been the subject of criticism in recent weeks, particularly after an on-field bust up with Bruno Fernandes.
While it is commonplace for team-mates to occasionally have a pop at each other on the pitch, it is not often you see it so pertinently as those watching United's trip to Crystal Palace did last week.
Fernandes and Antony were spotted engaging in verbals with each other after a poor pass from the former. But the Portuguese felt that his United colleague could have made more of an effort to get on the end of his pass, and made sure Antony was aware of his feelings.
The frustrations of Fernandes were greeted with fury from Antony, who flung his arms up in the direction of Fernandes while muttering what appeared to be obscenities in the direction of United's stand-in skipper.
A week after the incident during the 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park, United boss Ten Hag has finally sought to address the issue, amid speculation that the feud reached boiling point, with claims in some quarters that Antony is not the most popular figure within the dressing room.
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The Dutchman quashed talk of a rift, stating: "I think that can happen. They are both players who play with the heart and, when they bring that in the game, they are on their best so it’s always a kind of balance. And always between players, sometimes emotions flare up but I think, in the second moment, they are already good with each other so that is not a problem. I think definitely the players are not frustrated with him."
Antony's form has declined after a promising start following his mega-money move from Ajax. With that being said, Ten Hag has backed his man to come good.
"When he’s playing, the team is winning. That already gives a message of how well he is performing. He can do better, I see space for improvement. For instance, and I think also you know this, we want him to be more direct and be more involved. But, as I said, the team is performing better if he is on the pitch."
Ten Hag did concede that with the level of talent the Brazilian international possesses, he can contribute much more to this United side as they aim for a top-four finish.
