Erik ten Hag urges Antony to ‘bounce back’ into Manchester United team

Erik ten Hag says Antony can “bounce back” in the battle the forward faces for a starting place in the Manchester United team.

The 24-year-old Brazil international, signed from Ajax for an initial £80.6million in 2022, has featured only once for United so far this season, as a late substitute in last month’s 2-1 Premier League loss at Brighton.

It remains to be seen what involvement he has in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against League One side Barnsley at Old Trafford, and United boss Ten Hag said of Antony ahead of the match: “He is fighting, fighting for his position.

“That’s what we expect from every player who is in the squad at Manchester United, what they should do.

“That is professional football, that is top football, those are the laws – you pick the team where you think you have the most chance to win a game, so the players have to fight for their positions, and you pick the XI who have the best dynamic and the best chemistry.

“Now he has to bounce back and he has the abilities to do it. So if he is doing the right thing, he can make competition with them (those who have been playing ahead of him).”

Asked if Antony was quite a way off where Ten Hag needs him to be, the Dutchman said: “No. I think the other players are doing so well, they’re contributing. We have Amad (Diallo), Garna (Alejandro Garnacho) – very effective. (Marcus) Rashford scoring at the weekend.

“So he has to earn the right in training but the others are doing really well, so he has to get over them.”

Ten Hag added: “Of course he is impatient. He wants to play and he’s fighting to play.”

Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui both limped off in the second half of the Southampton match, in which fellow defender Matthijs de Ligt was