04 January 2023 , 08:44
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag revealed Antony missed his team's victory over Bournemouth due to injury.
The Brazil international, who arrived in a big-money move from Ten Hag's former club Ajax over the summer, didn't even make the bench after starting the last two league games. His absence allowed Donny van de Beek to make a rare start, only for the Dutchman to leave the field in tears after a nasty-looking injury.
Antony scored in each of his first three appearances for United, but the last of those was on October 9 and he hasn't scored or assisted since. United will hope it is nothing too serious for a man signed for more than £80million back in August.
"He's injured," was Ten Hag's straightforward response when asked by MUTV about Antony's absence. He didn't go into further detail about the nature of the injury or the expected recovery time for the former Ajax star.
The manager also explained the decision to bring in Victor Lindelof for Raphael Varane wasn't directly injury-related. "Varane has played a lot of games and we know we have to manage him," Ten Hag explained. "He is a leader so he is important for us."
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As for Van de Beek, who made way before half-time after a freak injury as Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi slipped into a challenge, the prognosis wasn't great. "We need to wait 24 hours, but it is not looking very good," United's manager told Sky Sports.
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Antony started United's two league games before the Bournemouth clash (Getty Images)Antony's absence came after former Man Utd defender Gary Neville said the forward needed to do more to justify his price tag. Only Paul Pogba has cost United more than the 22-year-old, who thrived under Ten Hag in the Eredivisie but has yet to hit the same heights at Old Trafford.
"Agree with Anthony [sic] (he’s a lot to do to get to 95m price tag)," Neville wrote on Twitter when asked if he was concerned by those two price tags. "Pogba had pedigree when he signed for United so not comparable."
Despite Antony being unavailable, and with World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez only available to make a late cameo from the bench, United were comfortable against Bournemouth. Casemiro broke the deadlock midway through the first half, with Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford on target in the second period.
The result saw Ten Hag's team end the evening fourth in the league table, behind third-place Newcastle on goal difference but with a game in hand on the Magpies. Next up for the Old Trafford side are back-to-back cup games at home to Everton and Charlton, followed by a derby clash with Manchester City as they seek revenge for October's 6-3 defeat.