Antony: Erik ten Hag Defends Man Utd Winger After Poor Display Against Newcastle

• Manchester United players put up a lacklustre display against Newcastle United
• Brazilian attacker, Antony continued to struggle and is yet to score this season
• Erik ten Hag has come to the defence of the winger, who he also coached at Ajax

Erik ten Hag has rallied around one of his Manchester United players after another poor performance last night in the Carabao Cup round of 16 encounter.

United were thrashed 3-0 at Old Trafford by Newcastle United thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall, and Joe Willock to avenge last season's final loss.

It was a generally poor performance from United and a tactical dud from ten Hag, which summed up the mood in the Red Devils' dressing room recently.

The loss was United's second consecutive 3-0 loss after the derby day defeat to Manchester City, and per ESPN UK, was the first time the Red Devils had suffered that scoreline against Newcastle.

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Ten Hag defends Antony

Brazilian winger, Antony was the subject of criticism from fans after another poor performance as he is yet to score this season, but the boss thinks he knows why.

Speaking after the game, as quoted by Sportskeeda, the Dutch tactician claimed the whole team is down and must do better, not just a player.

"There is also the team, first the team is not playing well, when they don’t bring him the balls, again, I’m also responsible for that. But, obviously, also, there’s a lot of noise and that dropped his levels. He can do better, but all the players can do better," he said.

"Antony is also a fighter, he has the confidence, he is brave, I am confident he will bring the performance that [shows] he is the right player for us."

As per Guardian, United paid £86 million to Ajax for the winger's services in the summer of 2022 but, so far, he has looked far from a player who costs that figure.

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An away game in London at Fulham awaits the struggling Red Devils on Saturday, where a loss could spell the end of the road for the Dutch manager.

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Klopp's reaction to United's defeat

Sports Brief also reported on Jurgen Klopp's reaction to United's loss to Newcastle after he was informed of the result during his post-match conference.

The German boss was amazed and reacted in disbelief to his Northwest neighbours getting thrashed at home by the same team they defeated in the last final.