Ten Hag reveals the real reason he subbed off Antony at half-time of Man Utd win

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has rubbished suggestions he substituted Antony at half-time against FC Sheriff due to his showboating antics in the first half.

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The Red Devils secured a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford on Thursday night to keep their hopes of toping their Europa League group alive – which would mean they avoid a play-off against a Champions League drop-out in February if they beat Real Sociedad next week.

However, when the scores were still tied at 0-0, Antony provoked something of a backlash when he pulled out his trademark double 360 degree drag-back skill before over-hitting a pass straight out of play.

The Brazilian was branded ‘embarrassing’ and ‘ridiculous’ by pundits Paul Scholes and Robbie Savage at half-time, with the latter suggesting Ten Hag should have taken off his winger.

When the players re-emerged from the tunnel at half-time, Antony had indeed been withdrawn – replaced by Marcus Rashford – though the United boss insists his decision was pre-planned and unrelated to his former Ajax charge’s showboating.

Asked if Antony’s spin had influenced the substitution, Ten Hag told BT Sport: ‘No, no. It was more or less planned. If we were [winning], I wanted to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford close together, that was one of the reasons.

‘Also to bring another dynamic over to the right side. I thought over the left side Alejandro Garnacho was playing quite well and he had a real threat in his actions, really good tempo dribbles, so that was good to see. So it [Antony’s withdrawal] was more or less planned.’

Despite Ten Hag’s reasoning, United legend Scholes was still of the belief that Antony’s unnecessary showboating played a part in the substitution.

Reacting to the Dutchman’s explanation, he responded: ‘[He said] more or less. I think it will have had a little bit of something to do with it.

‘I think you saw his reaction on the bench, I think it frustrated him. I just don’t know what it achieves. This crowd – and me – we love a bit of showboating, a bit of entertaining, but does that do anything for anybody? Does it do anything for himself? I don’t know what it achieves.’

Ten Hag also rejected suggestions his side needed to be more clinical in the first half, instead feeling they needed to commit more men forward: ‘I don’t know if that’s the words, it was more to bring more numbers in, to get behind the defending line of the opponents and especially the occupations of positions in the box.

‘And that was what we could do better and I think the examples are the second and third goal. We had more in the box, we occupied the positions and that is what we have to do more and where we need to improve.’

On needing to beat Real Sociedad next week by two goals, he added: ‘We are confident, we know what we have to do. That crazy penalty that we conceded in the first game, we have to deal with that, so that means we have to win by two goals difference.’

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