Manchester United has refuted claims suggesting that Antony’s absence from the squad during the Bournemouth game was due to a disagreement with manager Erik ten Hag, according to a source speaking to ESPN.
The Brazil winger was notably missing as United settled for a 2-2 draw, dealing a blow to their Champions League qualification aspirations.
The source emphasised that the club is dissatisfied with speculations linking Antony’s absence to a purported disagreement with Ten Hag over playing time.
United sources clarified that Antony was sidelined due to an injury sustained during Friday’s training session, preventing him from completing the practice.
Insiders close to Antony informed ESPN that the injury is not severe, and there are hopes of his recovery in time for the FA Cup semifinal against Coventry on Sunday.
Meanwhile, defender Diogo Dalot has suggested that Manchester United’s defensive struggles stem from their inclination to “take too many risks.” Ten Hag’s squad has conceded a troubling 12 goals in their last five matches, with Bournemouth alone registering 20 shots against them.
Notably, Liverpool and Chelsea each managed 28 shots in their respective encounters with United, resulting in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and a 4-3 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“Maybe we are taking too many risks,” said Dalot following the draw with Bournemouth. “Sometimes the gap between the defence and midfield is a little bit too big, which is why we are sometimes getting the counter-attacks too many times and are conceding too many shots, but overall we are looking forward to taking this as a learning process and trying to do better.”