Why Erik ten Hag waited until 99th minute to sub Antony on vs Fulham

Highlights

• Antony is told to ‘step up’ and prove himself after being limited to a short substitute appearance in Man United’s recent defeat.
• The loss against Fulham highlights United’s ongoing struggles with home form, despite a previous four-game winning streak in the league.
• Manager Erik ten Hag’s decision to leave Antony out until the 99th minute suggests a lack of faith in the winger’s abilities.

Erik ten Hag has called on Antony to ‘step up’ after the Brazilian was limited to a 99th-minute substitute appearance during Manchester United’s defeat against Fulham at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by Marco Silva’s side to bring their four-game winning run in the league to an end. Three of those victories came on the road – against Wolves, Aston Villa, and Luton Town. United’s home form has been a source of frustration for everyone associated with the club all season and the loss against the Cottagers only compounded that further.

In-form striker Rasmus Hojlund was ruled out by injury, meaning the front-line needed to be re-shuffled after the Dane had impressed in recent games with Marcus Rashford to his left and Alejandro Garnacho to his right. With Rashford being shifted into a central role and Garnacho back to his usual left-wing role, the stage appeared set for Antony to step back into the fold to prove a point.

This wasn’t the case, however, as Ten Hag opted to hand youngster Omari Forson a start instead. The former Ajax man wasn’t even the Dutch manager’s first port of call either, as Amad Diallo was called upon when United found themselves chasing the game.

Erik ten Hag explains Antony’s late cameo

The Man United boss is demanding more from the winger

Antony is one of the most expensive signings in Manchester United’s history, but the left-footed winger hasn’t lived up to expectations at all in his first two campaigns in England. Having worked with Ten Hag at Ajax previously, even the manager appears to have lost faith in his £88 million signing.

The United boss was quizzed on his decision to leave Antony on the bench until the 99th minute, as he was brought off the bench after Alex Iwobi had put Fulham 2-1 up with very little time left for the hosts to get back into the game. Per FourFourTwo, Ten Hag 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 in Antony we all have seen, and he has to step up. I see it in training but also other Omari and Amad Diallo and Garnacho deserve to play.”

To have fallen behind three young players in the pecking order isn’t a great look for Antony, who has failed to either score or assist in 20 Premier League appearances this season.

An unhappy birthday for Antony

The Brazil international turned 24

Game time has been difficult to come by for Antony during the 2023/24 season, as the now 24-year-old has had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench for the most part. The Premier League is proving to be a difficult division for him to conquer thus far, but will Antony be able to come good in the future?

Based on his manager’s comments, it sounds like it will be difficult to force a way back into the starting line-up any time soon. The 99th-minute appearance – which saw Antony on the field for only 40 seconds before the final whistle – came on his birthday of all days. He will have had happier ones in years gone by.