Erik ten Hag sends brutal message to Man United outcast after nine-game trend

Erik ten Hag has sent a brutal message to one Manchester United outcast after a nine-game trend has emerged.

The Reds have had a mixed start to the new Premier League campaign, winning just two of their opening four games.

However, Erik ten Hag will hope the team can kickstart their season with a winning run after a routine 3-0 victory against Southampton on the weekend.

Their next clash comes in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley and then back-to-back games against Crystal Palace and FC Twente in the Europa League.

With a busy upcoming schedule, many players on the fringes of the squad will be hoping to get minutes against the League One outfit Barnsley on Tuesday.

However, Ten Hag has warned that he is not simply giving out minutes for anyone during his pre-match press conference.

Ten Hag sends Antony a brutal message

Antony is yet to start a game this season for United, with the Brazilian winger playing just a handful of minutes in one appearance against Brighton.

In fact, it has been nine competitive games since Antony started for the club. His last time in the lineup came in the 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the back end of last season.

Some assumed that the wide player would be guaranteed minutes in the Carabao Cup, considering Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho are ahead of him in the pecking order for more important games.

However, when asked about the prospect of Antony starting the game, Ten Hag refused to say that he would be involved and reiterated that his players have to “earn the right” to get on the pitch.

“Tomorrow, you will see what the line-up will be. We have training every day, and the players have to earn the right,” the manager told reporters.

“When the attitude is good and show performance in training then they will play.”

Whether or not this is a subtle reminder for Antony to improve his levels behind the scenes, it is clear that the manager no longer has ‘favouritism’ towards him, as some fans previously suggested.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.