Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has finally spoken up about Antony’s drastically reduced playing time after the winger was overlooked once more against Fulham.
In recent games, Antony has found minutes very hard to come by, with Ten Hag preferring a wing pairing of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
Garnacho has found his feet on the right and has looked like a totally new player on that side of the pitch.
In games against Aston Villa and Luton Town respectively, Antony did not get any taste of minutes.
Even in Rasmus Hojlund’s absence due to injury vs. Fulham, the Brazilian was snubbed and had to make do with a place on the bench.
Ten Hag elected to start 19-year-old Omari Forson ahead of Antony.
When Forson was taken off in the 53rd minute of proceedings against the Cottagers, Christian Eriksen came on in the teenager’s place and Bruno Fernandes shifted to the right wing.
With 10 minutes of normal time left on the clock, Amad Diallo was thrust into the action ahead of Antony.
The former Ajax man was substituted in the 99th minute when the game was already lost and no chance of making any impact whatsoever.
He only managed one touch of the ball – a pass to Garnacho.
It’s pretty clear that at the moment, Antony is firmly at the bottom of the pecking order. He has yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League this term.
When asked whether the 24-year-old’s exclusion was down to fitness concerns, Ten Hag gave a brutal response. The United boss said, “It was nothing to do with fitness.”
“He is fit but we have many options on the right side where we lack in other positions due to injuries.”
“The form Antony is in we all have seen and he has to step up.” Ten Hag added, “I see it in training, but also Omari [Forson] and Amad Diallo and Garnacho deserve to play.”
The Red Devils return to action on Wednesday when they take on Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Casemiro’s legs are gone. Marcus Rashford doesn’t track back. Bruno Fernandes whines a lot. Christian Eriksen has lost his physicality. Scott McTominay is not disciplined positionally. Harry Maguire is clumsy.
These are just some of the criticisms Manchester United players have faced this season. They are all correct, to varying degrees, but to say that the squad which came third last season and won a trophy is suddenly useless would be too black and white.
The fact is, Erik ten Hag’s system, instead of masking the deficiencies of his players and maximising their effectiveness, is exacerbating it.
Players losing trust in their manager and giving up has been a common theme in post-Sir Alex world at United which is why Ten Hag has been afforded a longer leash.
It is ironic, therefore, that the one-time players are actually following his instructions to a tee, it is causing more worry than it would if they had given up.
That’s because Ten Hag’s tactics are the biggest problem at United right now, clearer than ever after the defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford.
Pressing structure and “Chaos ball”
Pressing is a crucial part of modern football and all good teams do it. Ten Hag waxing lyrical about his team gaining possession high up the pitch should be a marker for greatness.
However, Ten Hag’s idea is good, but its implementation is flawed. The result is, that United are easily bypassed in midfield once the opponent plays through their initial forward press.
That is not hard to do, since for a manager who talks so much about pressing, his idea of pressing just seems to be the player running towards the ball.
It’s hard to see a pressing trigger, nobody is marking the space, and the only trap United set in pressing is for themselves where they are open for a counterattack.
A simple one-two bypasses the press and suddenly, a wave of opponent players are running right at the defensive midfielder, all alone on an island.
Casemiro’s legs might not be the same as last year, but no defensive midfielder can mark an acre of space and multiple players by himself.
Harry Maguire might be clumsy, but there’s no defensive line that can handle the amount of high-quality transition opportunities United leak on a per-game basis
Christian Eriksen lacks physicality, but no player can match the pace of the game when it’s just ping-pong from one end to the other.
In fact, it can be argued that the reason why United have had so many injuries this season is because players are forced into situations where they have to make more high-intensity runs than ever before.
United players are not covering themselves in glory, but for once, in the post-Sir Alex era, it is the individual quality which is carrying the club to wins, despite the system set up to hinder them.
It will ultimately lead to a situation where either the system needs to change, or the one implementing it needs to be changed.
Right now, the latter looks more likely than the former because Ten Hag is nothing if not stubborn in his ways.
VALLARTA, Mexico — PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp lost a four-shot lead in seven holes and then held it together with a remarkable short game Sunday, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a trip to the Masters.
Knapp said he still sends a text after each round to his grandfather, who died last year, and this message might require a lot of detail.
He didn’t hit a fairway until the eighth hole and found only two the entire round — the fewest in the final round of a PGA Tour win in the past 40 years, according to golf statistician Justin Ray. Knapp never lost the lead but twice allowed Sami Valimaki of Finland to catch him. They were tied with six holes to play until Knapp took over, getting up and down on four of the next five holes, one of them for birdie.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and I could feel my heart racing,” he said. “I was more excited to get things going. I wasn’t worried about performing — maybe I should have been.”
Tee to green, Knapp had his worst performance. But he spent extra time Saturday night on his short game, and it won the day for him.
“We talked about it last night … if the ballstriking is off, we’re going to have to trust our hands,” he said. “And we did that, grinding out some pretty tough pars.”
It wasn’t easy until the end.
Another big par save on the par-3 17th gave Knapp a two-shot lead going into the par-5 closing hole at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing eagle to have a chance, hit his drive down the right side and off a cart path, and it nestled next to a boundary fence. He had to take a penalty drop, effectively ending his chances.
Valimaki made par for a 69 to finish runner-up, still a big boost to his rookie season. Valimaki was among the leading 10 players from the European tour to earn PGA Tour cards this year.
“Maybe just a couple more putts drop in,” Valimaki said. “I feel like I have the game to win over here. It just wasn’t this Sunday.”
Knapp, who finished at 19-under 265, won in his fifth start of his rookie season. He became the first player to record a multishot win on tour within his first 10 starts since 2018 (Cameron Champ, Sanderson Farms in ninth career start).
Along with winning $1,458,000 and moving into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup, the 29-year-old Californian is headed to the Masters and PGA Championship. He also gets into the remaining five $20 million signature events, starting with Bay Hill in two weeks.
It was a big turnaround for the former UCLA player who leans on a pair of initials.
One of them is LTD, an acronym he and his older brother have been using for years that means, “Living The Dream.” The other initials are tattooed on the inside of his left arm — GSFB, which stands for Gordon Sydney Frederick Bowles, his grandfather who died last year.
Playing golf at the highest level was a dream they shared, and Knapp had to choke back emotions Saturday talking about him, apologizing because he had never been asked publicly about his grandfather.
“Papa, thank you,” he said, pointing to the sky as he walked off the 18th green, soaked after friends and players doused him with water bottles after he tapped in for par.
Knapp was hopeful of the outcome. He didn’t imagine how he would get to the finish line.
Staked to a four-shot lead, he made bogey on the opening hole with a weak chip. He had to save par on the next hole after another pulled tee shot. The third drive was the worst, a hook some 50 yards left of the fairway into the water, leading to another bogey.
Three holes into the final round, his lead already was down to two.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, that’s for sure,” Knapp said. “I knew I was going to be a nervous wreck. I knew it was going to be tough.”
It all turned in Knapp’s favor down the stretch. Valimaki failed to convert a 10-foot par putt after hitting into a bunker on the 13th, while Knapp saved par from short of the green. On the par-5 14th, Knapp hit a superb pitch to a foot for birdie, while Valimaki hit a poor chip to 25 feet and failed to make birdie.
That gave Knapp a two-shot cushion, and he kept it with bold par saves on the 16th and 17th holes, and then Valimaki allowed for the Californian to enjoy the walk up the 18th.
“Super pumped how I played the finishing stretch,” Knapp said. “Just grinded it out.”
Knapp, who came into the week ranked No. 101 in the world, became the seventh PGA Tour winner in eight tournaments to start the year who was outside the top 50.
Knapp spent four seasons on the Canadian tour and two on the Korn Ferry Tour until finally getting a PGA Tour card for this year. He once worked as a bouncer when he needed daytime hours to practice and cash to pay entry fees.
“Bumpy to say the last,” Knapp said about his career path. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I look back on my career as a whole, I always struggle the first jump on. Now that I feel my feet are under me, I know myself and what I’m doing, it feels like the right time.”
Information from ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.
During a conversation with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Kevin Durant discussed the chance of concluding his professional basketball career with the Suns. However, he didn’t provide any assurance or certainty that such a scenario would indeed unfold.
Durant had requested a trade to Phoenix in February of the previous year. When Andrews inquired about whether it would be his ultimate destination in the NBA, Durant expressed his enjoyment of being in the city without committing to it as his final stop.
Heat’s Thomas Bryant and Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado were suspended three games each for leaving the bench area and fighting during an on-court altercation. Jimmy Butler and Naji Marshall face one-game suspensions for instigating the incident.
Heat’s Nikola Jovic also receives a one-game suspension for entering the altercation from the bench area. The altercation began when Kevin Love wrapped up Zion Williamson during a layup attempt, leading to a shoving match between Marshall and Butler.
Manchester United have allegedly learnt the price that they will have to pay in order to lure Denzel Dumfries during the summer transfer window. This comes as the team looks to boost its defensive options ahead of the new season.
With Luke Shaw out until almost the end of the season with a leg injury and Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both harbouring injuries of their own, Man United’s options at full-back are spread thinly, with only Diogo Dalot fully fit.
This could mean that United may need to look to the transfer market as a means of rebuilding their squad depth ahead of next season, especially after suffering the consequences of over-reliance on certain players, often resulting in the re-aggravation of existing injuries.
Dumfries is one full-back that United have been repeatedly linked with on multiple occasions, with manager Erik ten Hag reportedly expressing an interest in the Dutch international.
Apparently, Ten Hag was impressed by Dumfries when the pair were involved in the Eredivisie, particularly given the full-back’s athleticism and physicality.
FC Inter News claimed yesterday evening that United are closing in on the Inter defender, with the Italian club reportedly stating the price that they would command in order to part ways with the player.
According to the report, Dumfries is valued at around €40 million – an arguably reasonable price that could be even more attainable should Aaron Wan-Bissaka ultimately depart Old Trafford in the summer.
The Italian news outlet added that Dumfries’ departure from Inter has been made more likely since he demanded €5 million a year to renew his current contract – a condition that Inter are unwilling to fulfil.
Still, acquiring Dumfries could prove challenging for United, given that Inter could decide to raise Dumfries’ price tag ahead of any potential deal. FC Inter News claimed that the Serie A side could raise their asking price to the range of €50 to €55 million, depending on Dumfries’ performance in Euro 2024 for the Netherlands.
The current season has been an impressive one for Dumfries, who has kept 12 clean sheets for Inter in 20 Serie A appearances, helping the team remain top of the league.
This season, Dumfries has moved into a more advanced position, namely as a right midfielder, thereby showing his versatility. He has contributed three goals and three assists in the league but remains strong in defence, not making a single error that led to a shot or a goal.
Given United’s poor run of injuries, Dumfries could prove to be a solid asset for the club, especially given his ability to slot into the midfield as well as the defence. Given his and Inter’s strong showing this season, he certainly remains one to watch.
Barcelona sporting director Deco has poured cold water on the possibility of Frenkie de Jong and Ronaldo Araujo being sold by the club amidst heavy links to Manchester United.
Both players have been reported to be summer targets of United.
United’s interest in Araujo can be dated as far back as last summer. A move never materialized but with the club keen on defensive reinforcements ahead of the upcoming transfer window, links to the Uruguayan have surfaced again.
The Red Devils have been chasing De Jong since Erik ten Hag’s arrival in the summer of 2022.
Despite United agreeing a fee with the Blaugrana for the midfielder, a switch to Old Trafford was rendered impossible due to deferred wages he was owed by the club in addition to his unwillingness to leave the Catalan giants.
Recently, it emerged that De Jong could be open to leaving Camp Nou. However, the 26-year-old later spoke up in public about the rumours and quashed them.
He admitted to being irritated by the constant suggestions of his exit from Barca and explained that his desire is to continue where he is.
A previous report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that United are keen on completing a double swoop of De Jong and Araujo.
However, according to Deco who spoke to Movistar (via 90min), both stars are still in Barca’s future and will not be made available for sale.
He said about the duo, “Nothing will happen.”
“They have a contract and we want to keep the best. And they are the best.”
“They are footballers of the present and the future. They are players who have earned the right to be at Barca and they have earned the respect of the fans and the club.”
“We want to continue counting on them.”
Both De Jong and Araujo’s respective contracts with Barcelona are set to expire in 2026.
The Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young will undergo surgery on the fifth finger of his left hand, causing him to be sidelined for at least four weeks. The procedure is to address a tear of the radial collateral ligament.
Despite making the All-Star Game and averaging 26.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists for the Hawks this season, Young’s absence will impact the team.
The Hawks are currently the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Brooklyn Nets.
Liverpool sealed the prestigious title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea, with defender Virgil Van Dijk netting the decisive goal in the 119th minute of the match.
Manchester United loanee Donny van de Beek completed 65 minutes in Frankfurt’s home draw with Wolfsburg this afternoon (Sunday).
The Dutchman had missed Frankfurt’s last three fixtures which included an embarrassing Europa Conference exit to Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, last week.
Van de Beek lined up in a central midfield role, dropping in to collect the ball from his back four to start attacks for Dino Toppmöller’s side whilst also having license to drift into attacking areas.
However, Frankfurt found themselves a goal behind before the fans had settled into their seats after Maxence Lacroix’s squeezed a header in at Kevin Trapp’s near post just 2 minutes into the game.
Phillip Max equalized for Frankfurt 10 minutes later in a barnstorming opening to a game that, in truth, passed Van de Beek by.
The United man settled as the game dropped its tempo after the exchange of goals, with a few neat and tidy touches helping to calm things down after the frantic opening.
Despite this, Frankfurt’s handful of chances before the break were carved out without the influence of Van de Beek, who looked rather leggy in the first period.
This was underlined by Wolfsburg’s second after the away side made use of a quick free kick with many of the Frankfurt players switching off, including Van de Beek.
The 26-year-old was facing away from play when the kick was taken which was eventually nodded home by veteran striker Kevin Behrens, compounding an disappointing first 45 minutes from the midfielder.
Van de Beek emerged for the second half but was no sooner off it as fan protest resulted in the 22 players leaving the field of play whilst ground staff cleared the objects thrown onto the pitch.
After a 10 minute hiatus, the second period did eventually get going but the same could not be said for Van de Beek, whose minimal impact saw him replaced by Fares Chaibi just after the hour mark.
Frankfurt improved after Van de Beek’s exit and secured a point in stoppage time after some sustained pressure in the latter stages and the Dutchman will know he needs to do more with the minutes he is getting in Germany.
No doubt he is still getting back up to speed after a prolonged period on the sidelines with United, but with games running out, he does need to leave some kind of impact in order to secure a permanent move away from Old Trafford in the summer.
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