Erik ten Hag told Antony, the winger for Manchester United who cost £86 million, that he needs to earn the right to play for his team.

Ten Hag says the Brazil star is “impatient” because he has only played once this season, coming on as a replacement in the 89th minute at Brighton.

Antony, 24, wants to make his first start tonight (Tuesday) in the Carabao Cup game at Old Trafford against Barnsley. But Ten Hag said, “We train every day, and the players have to earn the right to play.”

“That’s professional football, the best football.” Those are the rules. The players have to fight to keep their spots. You choose the XI that seems to work best together.

It makes sense that he’s antsy. There’s a fight between him and the other player to play.

“He is fighting to keep his job.” That’s what we want all of Manchester United’s players to do.

Antony has had a terrible career at United since following Ten Hag from Ajax to Old Trafford in 2022 when he became the second-most-expensive player in the club’s history.

This season, the United manager put young stars Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo ahead of him on the right side. He said, “The others are doing well, and he has to get over them.” We have Amad and Garna, who work very well together. Rashford scored over the weekend.

“He needs to get back on track now, and he has the skills to do so.” So long as he does the right thing, he can compete with them.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first season at Old Trafford, and he didn’t believe that the club’s new co-owners, Ineos, would want to win bigger prizes.

“I wouldn’t say it’s not important,” the Dutchman said. “The FA Cup and the Carabao Cup are important.” Everyone is paying attention—every team, every owner, and every boss. 

“I want our teams to fight for trophies like Liverpool did last year when they won them.” It’s very important to win trophies in sports. You have five chances, and we aim to win all of them if we can.

Antony joined United for £86 million two years ago, but he has been criticized for how he has played since then.

In 38 games across all categories last season, he only scored three goals and set up two others. One of those goals came against Newport County in the FA Cup.

The 24-year-old has also had a rough time off the pitch. Three women accused him of domestic violence last year, but he was not arrested or charged in either Brazil or the UK, and he rejected the claims. 

The claims were looked into by Brazilian police last month, but no charges were made. However, the claims could still be looked into by prosecutors.

According to a statement from Antony’s lawyers, the police investigation that started at the fifth Women’s Defence Precinct of Sao Paulo, of the Civil Police, was closed without any police indictment. This was in response to news that came out in the press on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The defense team has always thought that the ongoing investigations, which are being kept secret, would show that Antony is innocent.

During the international break, Antony and his girlfriend Rosilene Silva had a reason to celebrate: they told everyone on Instagram that they were getting engaged.

Antony and his high school sweetheart, whom they’ve known since they were kids in Sao Paulo, put up a post with three photos.

In one shot, the 24-year-old football player was seen putting down his clenched fist. Antony kissed his future bride on the cheek in another.