Manchester United believe Erik ten Hag is refusing to adhere to INEOS’ plans for the summer transfer window, due to his thoughts on the future of a struggling player.
Man Utd transfer & manager updates
This summer has the potential to be a very busy one at Old Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe no doubt desperate to bring in new players who can take the club in the right direction.
Numerous individuals have been linked with moves to United of late, with Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva a player who could make the move to Old Trafford this summer. This season, he has completed 92.7% of his passes in the Primeira Liga, which is bettered only by Lisandro Martinez (93.6%) out of the Red Devils entire squad to have started a Premier League game this season, suggesting he would fit into the manager’s style of playing out from the back.
Highly-rated Juventus defender Dean Huijsen has also emerged as a target, with Tottenham targeting a move for him, too, with the 18-year-old making eight appearances in Serie A so far this season.
Meanwhile, there are also doubts over the future of Ten Hag as manager, with the Dutchman still not wholly convincing in the role, and it has led to Antonio Conte being linked with replacing him at the end of the season.
Zinedine Zidane is also being looked at as an option for United, with the Frenchman winning three Champions League titles during a legendary spell at Real Madrid, and Ratcliffe is believed to see him as a primary target. Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann is also considered a front-runner to come in and take the team into the future, with the 36-year-old set to depart his current role after Euro 2024 this summer.
Ten Hag disagress with INEOS over Antony
According to Football Insider, Ten Hag still sees a future at Manchester United for Antony, which is a different stance to INEOS, who want him to leave this summer.
“Erik ten Hag still believes in Man United winger Antony and is a big fan of the Brazillian, sources have told Football Insider. Ten Hag refuses to budge in his defence of the 24-year-old despite his poor performances in the 2023-24 campaign. INEOS’ recent investment has meant big recruitment plans are in place at Old Trafford – but the Dutchman still believes there is a place for Antony in the squad.
The fact that there are already potential clashes between Ten Hag and INEOS doesn’t bode well for the manager – in truth, there is only going to be one loser in that situation if it continues.
While it is nice to see the manager showing faith in Antony, having previously managed him at Ajax and called him “outstanding”, it makes complete sense to move him on this summer. This is down to a consistent lack of end product, with the Brazilian not registering a single goal or assist across 20 Premier League appearances this season.
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To put that into context, even Aaron Wan-Bissaka (1), a defence-minded player, has more goal contributions than him in the league.
For an attacking player, that is a woeful return, and while Antony is still a relatively young player, he is old enough for more to be expected of him. United should cash in on him and sign a superior replacement, taking the hit on the £85m spent on him.
