Wright ‘cannot believe’ Ten Hag selection decision in Man Utd loss at Arsenal
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright can’t understand why Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag keeps selecting Antony over Alejandro Garnacho.
Injury-time goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus saw the Red Devils lose 3-1 to the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford had given the visitors the lead but Martin Odegaard cancelled out the Man Utd forward’s opener just 110 seconds later, before Rice and Jesus sealed all three points.
Substitute Garnacho thought he’d won it late on but his goal, which would’ve put Man Utd 2-1 up at the time, was chalked off by VAR for offside.
And Wright is baffled as to why Ten Hag starts Antony over Garnacho with the Brazilian currently having little impact on matches.
Wright told Premier League Productions: “I think Garnacho is a positive [from the defeat]. I think they’ve got to find some way of getting a midfielder in their team who can get on the ball, control it and then use the pace of Rashford and use the pace of Garnacho.
“Because they’re playing on the counter-attack. I’m listening to Bruno Fernandes saying he was happy with the way it went, he thought they played well and dug in.
“Man United have got the kind of players [to attack more]. We saw it with Garnacho, who I cannot believe does not start in front of someone like Antony.
“He [Garnacho] can come on in that game and, even if you’re playing in that style of football, he’s surely going to be better than what Antony is giving you at this particularly moment.
“We saw it in that little cameo there what he did. For me, Man United are only missing a person to get the ball in midfield and control it and pass it so they can build up their movement off the ball.”
Former Man Utd striker Andy Cole thinks Mason Mount – who missed the match against Arsenal because of injury – “needs to do everything he can to get everybody onside” after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.
Cole told Betfred: “The manager has brought him in for a reason. Manchester United is a difficult club to move to and hit the ground running for whatever reason that may be. The questions around Mason started in Manchester United’s pre-season but he’s gone in there, taken the number seven shirt and welcomed the added pressure that comes with that.
“His first few performances haven’t gone the way that he would have liked them to go, but he just needs to keep his head down and work as hard as possible because the only way he’s going to win over his critics is by putting in performances.
“He’s now out for a spell injured but when he’s back, he needs to do everything he can to get everybody onside because it’s been a really difficult start for him.”
