Former Manchester United coach reveals why Ten Hag 'insisted' on signing his £82m flop
Erik ten Hag, former Manchester United manager.
Benni McCarthy, a former Manchester United coach, has explained why former head coach Erik ten Hag insisted on "keeping" the £82 million flop Antony.
Last month, Manchester United had a dismal start to the 2024/25 season, ranking 14th in the Premier League, leading to ten Hag's dismissal.
The Dutchman achieved success in his first season at Manchester United but performed poorly in the 2023/24 season, with the team finishing eighth in the Premier League.
Ten Hag retained his position after winning the FA Cup last season, but the decision by INEOS to keep the head coach was quickly proven foolish as their struggles in the 2023/24 season continued into the start of this season.
The former Ajax boss failed in several key areas, as he was unable to implement a clear playing style and the team made several poor signings.
Antony, who joined Manchester United for an initial transfer fee of £82 million in the same summer as ten Hag, has become one of the worst signings in Manchester United's history because his value has fallen far short of expectations.
After Ruben Amorim joined, Manchester United made some positive progress, but due to losing four out of nine games in all competitions, the team ranked 13th in the Premier League.
McCarthy, who worked with ten Hag at Manchester United, revealed the reason why the head coach "insisted on playing Antony."
"Tactically, when we were making plans, the head coach believed that Antony was the best fit for the position he wanted because he knew Antony from his time at Ajax," McCarthy said.
"He is the player of the team, so he invested in him, and the club supported him. So, of course, he had to support the players he bought, and I think that's why he insisted on playing Antony. It's because he knows what Antony is capable of at his best."
Despite Antony still struggling, Amad Diallo became a bright spot for Manchester United towards the end of ten Hag's tenure, and he also performed well under Amorim.
Diallo has played in multiple positions and has been one of Manchester United's best performers this season. McCarthy admits it was unfortunate that he "missed out" on opportunities before Antony found his place in the team.
He added: "Then you have [Alejandro] Garnacho, who also plays well and scores a lot. [Marcus] Rashford can beat anyone on any given day. Then you have [Rasmus] Hojlund, whom you spent £70 million to bring in, so he must play.
"So someone always has to be left out, unfortunately for Amad, the head coach chose the players he thought were more capable of dealing with such games tactically, defensively, and offensively."