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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spoken out about Wednesday evening’s on-field row between Bruno Fernandes and Antony in the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last week in the English Premier League.
Coming off the back of a a 2-1 victory over rivals Man City, the side missed out on further progress as they could only arrive at a stalemate with Palace.
In that tie, the United boss appeared to have a problem when two of his players, Fernandes and Antony, had an explicit argument during the game as United struggled to get ahead.
Antony, who signed for 85 million pounds for United during the summer appeared to have called Fernandes a “son of a b****” during a heated exchange between the pair.
Ten Hag’s Dismissal
The Dutch manager has since dismissed rumors of a fallout between the two Portuguese speaking attackers, saying that a row is something “that can happen” on the pitch between teammates during the heat of battle.
Ten Hag was questioned about the incident on Tuesday ahead of the Red Devils EFL Cup tie with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday evening, a tie they emerged victors by three goals to nil.
The ex-Ajax manager dismissed any rumors of a major fallout between his players.
“I think that can happen,” Ten Hag said, “They are both players who play with the heart and, when they bring that in the game, they are on their best so it’s always a kind of balance.
“And always between players, sometimes emotions flare up but I think, in the second moment, they are already good with each other so that is not a problem,” he added, “I think definitely the players are not frustrated with him.”
Antony has struggled since arriving at Old Trafford for such a hefty price tag. The Brazilian has netted five goals since beginning his Man United career, leaving many to criticize his performances.
Man United Boss Backs Antony
Ten Hag, however, has gotten fully behind his signing.
“When he’s playing, the team is winning. That already gives a message of how well he is performing,” he explained.
“He can do better, I see space for improvement,” the manager said, “For instance, and I think also you know this, we want him to be more direct and be more involved.”
“But, as I said, the team is performing better if he is on the pitch. That’s a good thing, that’s a good base to build further,” he stated, “I think he has already made an improvement. In his first three [league] games, he scored three goals.”
Since speaking on the issue, Ten Hag has seen his side defeat Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday evening and will go to the second leg of the semi-final tie at Old Trafford with a three goal lead courtesy of strikes from Marcus Rashford, new signing Wout Weghorst, and Fernandes.
Antony also started the encounter and came close to netting on one occasion. If the side do not lose to Forest next week, they will face either Newcastle or Southampton in the final. The Carabao Cup represents Ten Hag’s best chances of securing silverware in his first season at the helm at United and he will no doubt be keen to do all he can to do so.
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