Antony Injury: Progress And Potential Return Date For Man United Star
It was a successful night at Old Trafford for Manchester United on Thursday as Erik ten Hag’s side secured their place in the Champions League after a one-year absence.
United cruised past Chelsea 4-1 to ensure they cannot be caught by Liverpool heading into the final game against Fulham, which offers Ten Hag the chance to rest players ahead of the FA Cup final against Premier League champions Manchester City.
It was not all good news for United and their fans, though, as there was an injury to Brazilian winger Antony in the first half which led to him being stretchered off. Here is what is known so far about the injury.
When will Antony return from injury?
The challenge that led to Antony’s injury came from Trevor Chalobah and seemed fairly innocuous. Antony was on the ground and seemed to be appealing for a free kick but it later became clear he was in immense pain, holding the area around his lower shin and ankle.
He remained on the deck as the ball was put out of play and received plenty of treatment. A stretcher was brought over but he initially looked as though he could stand and walk. He was then moved onto the stretcher and taken down the tunnel, half an hour into the game.
Details on the specifics of his injury are scarce given how recent it was and he will undergo evaluations on Friday. Ten Hag was asked after the game about the 23-year-old’s condition and said it’s serious.
“I don’t know. Everyone has seen he came off. I can tell you that it’s serious but we have to wait minimum 24 hours and then we know probably more about the status of his injury,” Ten Hag said.
Given he was stretchered off and how the coach used the word ‘serious’, it’s safe to assume Antony will not play against Fulham on Sunday in the final Premier League game on the season.
The bigger concern is the FA Cup final which comes on 3 June. If the seriousness of the injury matches the pain he appeared to be in, it’s hard to imagine Antony being on the pitch at Wembley next Saturday.
Antony’s first season at Man Utd
Antony arrived at Man Utd very late in the summer transfer window and given £82m was shelled out to bring him in from Ajax, expectations were high. Considering he had just moved to a new country with a huge fee on his back, Antony started superbly.
He scored in each of his first three games against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton, but his lack of end product started to undermine his clear skill and dribbling ability. He did manage another Premier League goal or assist until April when he got one of each against Nottingham Forest.
Overall in his debut season for United, the winger has eight goals and three assists from 44 appearances. Those figures are a little lower than United would have been hoping, but there has been a clear development in his general forward play and it is a very good base to work from next season.
He will be disappointed to potentially miss the FA Cup final given Ten Hag has stuck with him as the starting player on the right wing for United. He almost certainly would have started the final but now the coach may need to decide what combination of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho plays up front and on the wings.
