Following Jadon Sancho's loan return to his old club, Borussia Dortmund, Erik ten Hag is adamant that he wants the Manchester United winger to make an impression.
After Sancho's relationship with United manager Ten Hag broke down, his troubled time at Old Trafford has ended—at least for the time being.
The 23-year-old, who came to United from Dortmund in 2021, had trouble making an impact before getting into a fight with Ten Hag about not having enough playing time.
Ten Hag stated that Lisandro Martinez might play for the first time since suffering a foot injury in September ahead of Sunday's Premier League matchup against Tottenham.
Casemiro has returned to training after suffering a hamstring injury in October, and Christian Eriksen has recovered from illness.
Ten Hag's choices are improving, and the United manager expects that this will be matched by an improvement in player performance.
Anthony has struggled the most since his move from Ajax in 2022.
He was granted a leave of absence in September to address claims of abuse against him, which the Brazil winger vigorously rejects.
Ten Hag believes Antony has suffered significantly as a result of his off-field difficulties.
“I can explain. I think it’s very simple. I think his off-field issues stop him playing,” Ten Hag said.
“I think first year was OK and I think in the pre-season he was very OK. First four games were very good.
“He was out and then he came back. He didn’t deliver the performance we should expect from him and he can do so much better.
“You mention Ajax, also I look back there so his effectiveness, his end product was very high there and also in the Champions League very high. So, I am sure he’s capable of doing this.”
