"Didn't make progress" - Manchester United dealt major injury blow ahead of FA Cup final

Manchester United look set to be without winger Antony for Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City, as confirmed by manager Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils boss confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the Brazilian is unlikely to recover in time to play a part at Wembley this weekend after sustaining an ankle injury against Chelsea last week.

This comes after striker Anthony Martial was ruled out having sustained a hamstring tear against Fulham last weekend.

“It is unlikely that he [Antony] is available," ten Hag told the media. "He still has a chance but a really small chance as he didn’t make progress.

“I am always asked about the absence of players, but it is about the the players who are available and many times we were successful.

“We have a good squad and from the good squad we make a good team. We deserve that opportunity to be in a cup final and meet Manchester City, it is a great opportunity and we fought so hard for it.”

The Dutchman brought Antony with him from Ajax last summer and the Brazilian's first campaign for the Red Devils has certainly been mixed.

Having been purchased for a fee believed to be in the region of £100million, the 23-year-old has managed just eight goals and three assists across 44 appearances for United.

Asked whether the final will be ten Hag's biggest game of his managerial career, he responded: “It is definitely a big game but I don’t want to make an assessment on what is the biggest.

“It is a great opponent and we are looking forward to the test. Every game you have to win. Football is about winning and results, every game you have to win.”

Erik ten Hag

Saturday's match will be the first time the two Manchester clubs meet in the FA Cup final with both sides looking to add to silverware already lifted this term.

United lifted the League Cup back in February whilst City lifted their third consecutive Premier League trophy last weekend and will have the Champions League final to look forward to after meeting their city-rivals with a historic treble in their sights.

Topics: Manchester United, Antony, Erik Ten Hag, FA Cup

Dan Hargraves

Dan is a freelance sports journalist currently in his final year studying Football Journalism at the University of Derby. Currently working for SPORTBible and Reach PLC, he has also worked for Snack Media amongst others. His proudest work thus far came at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where he was a live blogger for the Commonwealth Games Federation, providing sports coverage on the tournament's official website to over a billion people.

@danjhargraves