WATCH: Antony Not Happy With Erik ten Hag’s Tactical Move In FA Cup Fixture Against Liverpool

Manchester United midfielder Antony was angry with manager Erik ten Hag as the Dutchman had asked him to play as a left-back during the FA Cup fixture against Liverpool.

With Manchester United trailing in extra time, Ten Hag decided to experiment with his line-up and deployed Antony as a left-back. The decision is understood to have not gone well with the Brazilian international. After Antony left the team huddle, he was surprised and was also seen making angry gestures with his hands.

Erik ten Hag got frustrated but at the same time, he heaped praises on Antony.

“It’s very important for him. He struggled so much. In the first part, he was not himself, he’s responsible for that. And then he lost confidence, and now he has to fight back. We see through the last two weeks, that he’s returning. I see in training, I see the Antony I used to work with at Ajax, and also used to work in the first weeks here”, the Manchester United manager was quoted as saying by beIn Sports, as per Mirror.

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“He has to fight back, and I’m sure he will do because you’ve seen that goal. But not only in the goal. When he’s going to the left full-back position, he’s defending very well. In certain systems, he can play from that side. He’s not a defending player, don’t get me wrong, because we have seen, he can score goals”, ten Hag added.

Manchester United will lock horns with Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final. Despite performing inconsistently throughout the season, Erik ten Hag admitted that the victory against Liverpool could be a huge boost for them.

“Every team needs such moments in a season and we never had that moment. This could be that moment where the team can really get the belief and the energy so that they can do amazing things. And I think when you can beat Liverpool in the way we did, you can beat any opponent. So it’s up to us to prove that point. And I said also on Friday, and today we did,” Erik ten Hag said.

Erik ten Hag’s tactics did pay off, eventually, as Manchester United scripted a phenomenal comeback to get the better of Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The Red Devils scored two late goals in the extra time to beat Liverpool 4-3. Antony had also netted a goal in the 87th minute of the fixture.