Erik ten Hag told to drop Man Utd star for Manchester derby as 'mystifying' pattern spotted

Erik ten Hag has been told to drop a Manchester United star ahead of the club’s derby against Manchester City.

United claimed a crucial 1-0 victory over Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday evening courtesy of a 72nd-minute Harry Maguire goal.

The game also saw late drama as Jordan Larsson, son of the former United player Henrik, saw his penalty saved by Andre Onana with what proved to be the final kick of the game.

United now turn their attention to the Manchester derby, which takes place on Sunday.

And ahead of the game, the Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst stressed that Ten Hag must not select Antony for the Premier League game against City.

Antony played an ineffective 63 minutes in the Champions League on Tuesday before being substituted.

On the matter, Luckhurst said: “Six starts and six bad performances from Antony this season.

“Mystifying he keeps getting picked. Was on the bench for the Old Trafford derby last season and should be on Sunday.”

Antony has endured a topsy-turvy time at Old Trafford since securing an £82million transfer from Ajax in August 2022.

In his first season, marked by inconsistency, the Brazilian netted eight goals in all competitions and recorded a further three assists.

However, Antony hasn’t scored for United in 17 games, with his last goal having come against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Of course, the winger’s season was disrupted by accusations of domestic abuse having been made against him - allegations which Antony vehemently denies.

It is understood the 23-year-old spoke to Greater Manchester Police last month and no restrictions were placed on him following the interview.

He was not arrested or charged in either Brazil or the UK but missed four games after being given leave on full pay by United to address the allegations made by three different women.

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Topics: Football, Manchester United, Antony, Manchester City

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.