Manchester United suffer another injury blow with Antony set to miss FA Cup final
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admits winger Antony is unlikely to be available for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
The Brazilian was stretchered off in United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea last week but Ten Hag was optimistic of having his £90million signing back for the Wembley showpiece.
However, it appears that Antony’s chances of being available are now slim, serving as a blow to United who are already without striker Anthony Martial and defender Lisandro Martinez.
“Unlikely, Dos Santos. There’s a chance but a really small chance,” said Ten Hag when asked about Antony’s availability.
“He didn’t make the progress [we wanted] so it’s unlikely he’s available. It’s about the players who are available and many times we were successful [without our injured players]. We have a good squad and from it, we’ll make a good team.”
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Ten Hag has provided stability to Manchester United following last season’s upheaval which saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick all given a stint at managing the club.
It culminated in United racking up their worst points total in Premier League history with just 58 points accumulated, as they missed out on Champions League qualification.
But this time round United have shown a stronger face and appear ready to put the brakes on City’s Treble bid.
United completed the same feat in 1999 and now have the opportunity to preserve bragging rights, should they find a way to derail Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine.
Such is the rivalry, some fans are pulling on United to be victorious in hope holding exclusivity over their Treble-winning triumph 24-year’s-ago.
But Ten Hag insists the focus is purely on United adding another piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet.
“We want to win, we want to win a cup. It’s not about stopping them, it’s about that we win. We have a great opportunity.
“It’s very good when you see where we came from. Then you see the progress, the development of the team and you are in a tough league like the Premier League.
“You are third, you win the League Cup and you are in the final of the FA Cup, I think you can be happy with the season.”
