In this time of uncertainty at Manchester United, one thing is for sure: Erik ten Hag has made a number of calls that he cannot afford to lose. From his insistence that United sign Antony, now on paid leave and the subject of police investigations in Manchester and Brazil, to exiling Jadon Sancho after the latest challenge to his authority as manager, the Dutchman is treading a delicate path and there is no turning back.
There have been other bold calls, too, that could go a long way towards defining his second season at Old Trafford, and perhaps even his tenure.
Mason Mount was recruited as an attacking No 8 – the position the player himself is thought to favour – even though his greatest successes at Chelsea came mostly operating from the right of a front three.
United committed £60 million to sign the England international, rather than put that money towards a second, more experienced striker to assist new signing Rasmus Hojlund, and will need the decision to pay off.
It had been an inauspicious start for Mount before a hamstring injury sidelined him but he will hope to find his feet once he returns, possibly as early as next week, just as Hojlund will be looking to build on a sprightly debut against Arsenal when Brighton visit Old Trafford on Saturday.
What is clear is that United have invested so much trust and faith in Ten Hag that there is no backing down now. It was interesting that Ten Hag took the opportunity on Friday to remind the club that they knew what they were getting – and had asked for – when they agreed to appoint him as manager 17 months ago.
Ridding the club of what he called a “no-good culture” and setting “some good standards” was just one of the tasks with which Ten Hag was primed and he would be the first to argue his hard line stance on Sancho is just the latest example of him not deviating from that chosen path.
The player, of course, may beg to differ. Sancho accused Ten Hag of making him a “scapegoat” because he feels there have been inconsistencies in the way some of the manager’s strict rules have been applied to him, compared to other players.
It has also been reported that Ten Hag’s decision to go public about Sancho’s mental health struggles was done so without the permission of the player or his representatives and has not gone down well with either party.
Equally, there is a debate about whether this falling-out could have all been contained internally had Ten Hag not opted to tell the world Sancho was dropped against Arsenal because his performances in training were not good enough. But then Ten Hag’s response to that is he is “always honest” and, besides, maybe he feels he has done all he can by Sancho and had nothing to lose by speaking so frankly in public post Arsenal.
The fact Ten Hag refused to mention Sancho once by name at his press conference on Friday ahead of Brighton, despite being asked a litany of questions about the 23-year-old, also seemed to speak volumes for his current feelings towards the player.
Ten Hag knows what he wants, what he likes and what he does not but the situations with Sancho and Antony become a little foggier when you consider that the manager – whether he chooses to admit it publicly or not – was all for Mason Greenwood coming back. We will never know to what extent Ten Hag’s willingness to reintegrate Greenwood into his squad influenced United’s plans to bring the 21-year-old striker back before the backlash forced a rethink. But, equally, no one should underestimate the sway the manager holds at Old Trafford.
It is improbable United would have committed to spending £85million on Antony – a player they originally valued at around £55million – had Ten Hag not been so hellbent on them signing a player who starred for him at Ajax. Did that come at the cost of some due diligence?
The police report filed to Sao Paulo Civil Police by Rayssa de Freitas, one of Antony’s accusers, in May 2022 was done so more than three months before the 23-year-old Brazil winger signed on the dotted line for United.
United have been approached for comment to ask if they knew about it before agreeing to buy the player.
Antony denies all the allegations that have been levelled at him by De Freitas and two other accusers, Gabriela Cavallin, a former girlfriend, and Ingrid Lana, a bank sales manager.
Given the mess Ten Hag inherited at Old Trafford, and the trajectory of the club in the 11 years since Sir Ferguson retired, no one ever imagined there would be a quick fix for the manager, even less so given the difficulties of working under owners like the Glazers.
And that rings as true now as it did when he took over.
