ERIK TEN HAG tried to block Manchester United from signing mega-money flop Antony, according to a sensational claim.
Antony, 25, joined the Red Devils in 2022 for £85.5million in Ten Hag’s first summer at the club to follow the manager directly from Ajax.
The Old Trafford outfit originally did not want to pay as much for the star.
However, according to widespread reports, Man Utd only pushed ahead with the deal after being encouraged by Ten Hag to complete it when he lost his first two games in charge.
Then Man Utd chief John Murtough submitted three bids to take Antony from the Dutch giants, which was eventually accepted.
After a bright start, Antony form dipped alarminly and he quickly became a scapegoat for Ten Hag’s failings as Man Utd boss.
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The Brazilian eventually lost his place in the starting XI in his second season before he was sent out on loan to Real Betis halfway through his third season with Man Utd.
Ten Hag now manages Bayer Leverkusen and has been linked with the winger once again.
But in a stunning claim from Kees Vos, co-founder of Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) who are Ten Hag’s agency, he says Ten Hag actually tried to BLOCK the move, with Man Utd being the ones wanting to “push it through at all costs”.
Writing in the book, Liverpool and the Dutch, Vos claims: “Ten Hag and Vos were not in favour of this and wanted to stop the transfer.
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“But the club wanted to push through at all costs, because Arsenal was also interested in Antony.
“The risk of a stronger competitor would be great. Ultimately, Manchester United paid almost 100 million euros for Antony.
“Although Ten Hag did not support this transfer, it stuck with him throughout his entire time in Manchester that he took over the attacker from Ajax for this ill-fated amount, who was never able to fulfil his promise.”
Overall, Antony scored just 12 goals and added five assists in 96 games for the Red Devils and was often ridiculed for his flagrant skills which often yielded no end product.
His loan at La Liga club Betis reminded people of skills as he contributed to 14 goals in 26 games.
Man Utd chiefs are reportedly willing to take a hit worth more than half of what they originally paid in order to get him off the books, with a figure of around £40m being reported.
SunSport have also revealed how Ten Hag’s Bayer are considering a move for Jack Grealish after he was told his Manchester City career is over.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
