Manchester United news: Manager Erik ten Hag believes Antony was the club’s ‘missing link’ after the Brazilian winger impressed on his Red Devils debut.
Antony, who joined Man Utd from Ajax for an initial fee of €95, made his debut for the Old Trafford outfit in their previous match against Arsenal. Ten Hag placed Antony straight into the starting XI and the winger vindicated the manager’s decision by scoring Man Utd’s first goal.
Antony put Man Utd ahead in the 35th minute of the match. Marcus Rashford slid him in and the Brazilian opened his body and doubled the ball into the far corner.
However, Antony did not play the entire match as Ten Hag decided to replace him with Cristiano Ronaldo in the 58th minute of the match.
Manchester United News: ‘You can see his full potential’: Ten Hag on Antony
Speaking after Man Utd inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Arsenal, Ten Hag said Antony will be a threat in the Premier League. The Man Utd manager also said that they were missing a player on the right wing and that Antony was that “missing link”.
“You can see its full potential,” said Ten Hag. “He will be a threat in the Premier League. We were missing a player on the right wing. [Jadon] Sancho and [Marcus] Rashford can play there, but they prefer the left, so now we have the missing link who can play well on the right.”
He added: “We needed that on the right wing with his pace, dribbling and expression. (The Premier League) is going to be a challenge for him, but we saw the potential in him. We have to keep pushing. I set high standards every day. Everybody has to bring it to Carrington every day.”
Man Utd’s win over Arsenal was their fourth successive Premier League victory. The Red Devils, in the process, also put an end to Arsenal’s perfect start to the season.
Arsenal had entered the game with a 100% winning record in the 22/23 Premier League season. However, they were able to maintain that record when Man Utd emerged victorious at Old Trafford.
After Antony put Man Utd ahead, Bukayo Saka equalized for Arsenal in the hours market. However, Man Utd restored the lead just six minutes later with Marcus Rashford finishing off a move started by Bruno Fernandes.
Rashford helped Man Utd establish a two-goal cushion in the 75th minute by scoring another goal to make it 3-1.
Man Utd currently have 12 points from six games and sit fifth in the Premier League points table. Arsenal, meanwhile, are still sitting at the top of the Premier League with 15 points.
