Ten Hag on Manchester United flop: “He was like a son to me and still is” | OneFootball

With Erik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen visiting Brazil before the season starts, the Die Werkself manager spoke to the press about Antony, whom he regards as a son.

Bayer Leverkusen will play a friendly against Flamengo U20 on Friday. However, the Germans will be without Malik Tillman. The midfielder recently joined from PSV but was forced to miss the trip to Brazil. Ten Hag will, of course, be there. The Dutchman succeeded Xabi Alonso as Leverkusen’s head coach this summer. He spoke with determination ahead of the new season.

“We want to usher in a new era, and I’m convinced we can do it. The past no longer matters. Being good isn’t enough; we have to get better. We want to build a team that can compete for trophies.”

Ten Hag was asked about Antony, who hasn’t been able to impress since his transfer to Manchester United. “He has a tremendous amount of quality,” the Haaksbergen native emphasised. “I signed him twice. He was like a son to me and still is. We’re not interested in him at the moment, but we’ll see what the future holds.”

Antony thrived last season during his loan spell at Real Betis. The Brazilian will rejoin Manchester United this pre-season. The future of the former Ajax playmaker is not yet known. Whether Ten Hag takes a third punt on the skilled player is purely speculation.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield