Ten Hag confident 'resilient' Antony will bounce back

LONDON — Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says under-performing Antony has the character to "fight back" based on his previous experience of managing the Brazil winger at Ajax.

Antony has yet to make the starting lineup in the Premier League in 2024 but Ten Hag said the 24-year-old has "great abilities".

"I know from the past, he is unstoppable," the Dutchman said on Tuesday. "No defender can stop him because he's one of the quickest players in the first 10 yards. When he plays that game, he will perform.

"I'm very confident he will do it for the future. He is resilient, he is a character and he will fight back. I back him and he now has to wait for his chance and once he is there he has to pick up."

Ten Hag was speaking ahead of Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Nottingham Forest, with United looking to rebound from its 2-1 loss to Fulham in the Premier League.

The FA Cup represents United's last realistic hope of a trophy this season, with Ten Hag aware of the expectations around the club.

United faces Manchester City on Sunday, where defeat would significantly dent his team's bid for Champions League qualification.

"When you are unbeaten for January and February and you lose one game — we know our aim is to win every game, at United you have to win every game," said Ten Hag.

Casemiro is available for the trip to Nottingham after a cut head forced the midfielder off against Fulham.

"Obviously it was a poor performance (against Fulham), a poor defeat, we are aware of this and we want to stay in every competition so, yeah, we have to win tomorrow," said the United boss.

Vote of confidence

Meanwhile, Ten Hag says he does not want a public vote of confidence from Jim Ratcliffe as speculation mounts over the United manager's future.

Ratcliffe is in control of United's soccer operations after recently purchasing a 25 percent stake in the club from owners the Glazer family. The British billionaire has brought in his right-hand man Dave Brailsford, of the INEOS cycling team, to oversee changes.

Ratcliffe is conducting an intensive review of Ten Hag's two-season reign, with reports suggesting former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi are candidates to replace the Dutchman.

After winning the League Cup last season to end United's six-year trophy drought, former Ajax boss Ten Hag has struggled to maintain that initial positive impression.

A 2-1 home defeat against Fulham on Saturday was another blow to United's faint hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Ten Hag is adamant he is not interested in any declarations of support from Ratcliffe.

"I'm here, I'm under contract for three seasons, so I don't care. I'm only focusing on the process so I don't care what's going around me," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"I have many talks with Jim Ratcliffe but especially also with Sir Dave Brailsford so I know what we are talking about. I have a strong belief and I feel that they believe in me.

"I'm just focusing on the team and I have to find solutions for this team that they perform in the best way they can. It's all about focusing on this and don't get distracted by any noise. We're talking about the future, we're talking about a future together."

AFP