Antony responds to Man Utd dressing room rumours and questions over team unity under Ten Hag

Manchester United winger Antony has described Erik ten Hag as a “very capable” manager after rumours of some dressing room unrest.

Ten Hag had a positive first campaign in charge of the Red Devils last term with the Dutchman leading Man Utd to an FA Cup final, League Cup glory and a top-four Premier League finish.

But he has come under increasing pressure this season with the club currently seventh in the Premier League table, out of the League Cup and on the brink of an early exit from the Champions League.

A report in ESPN on Monday claimed that ‘a group within the first-team squad are becoming disillusioned’ with Ten Hag following their tenth loss of the season.

While another report, this time from Sky Sports, claimed that a source had revealed to them that Ten Hag has now ‘lost about 50 per cent of the dressing room’ at Man Utd.

Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol revealed: “We should make it clear that it’s very easy to kick a club when they’re down. It’s easy to kick Erik ten Hag when he’s down. It’s really easy to say he’s lost the dressing room and that the players are not playing for him.

READ MORE: Ten Hag and Pochettino have come a long way down since the semi of 2019

“My information is that some of the players are confused with what is happening. He has lost elements of the dressing room. One source tells me that he’s lost about 50 per cent of the dressing room.

“Quite a few players are unhappy with the style of play, they also feel that they’re training too hard and that they’re running too much during training. I was told that the players don’t know what they’re running for.

“Also, some senior players have spoken to Erik ten Hag about where they feel the club is going wrong. They’ve spoken to him about their other experiences of playing for big clubs, and they feel that the manager should be a little bit more touchy-feely.

“They feel his man-management could be a little bit better, but Erik ten Hag is the boss and he’s the one who calls the shots. He is not for turning. He is going to do things his way.

“I’ve also been told that a few of the players believe that he is too set in his ways and he’s too robotic.”

But Man Utd winger Antony insists that his relationship with Ten Hag is “very good” and that the Dutchman’s Red Devils side are “very close” and have “created a good chemistry”.

“My relationship with Ten Hag has always been very good since Ajax,” Antony told The United Stand.

“He taught me a lot, and I owe him a lot for my professional evolution. Of course, in football, we end up experiencing ups and downs, which is normal.

“But I like him, and I think he’s an excellent professional, very capable. It can’t be easy to manage such a huge and historical club as Manchester United.”

Antony added: “I try to understand the characteristics of my friends. Everything is very natural between us.

“As a result, this created a good chemistry for building the friendships I made in the club. Our group is very close, strengthening us on the field, always running for each other.”