What life after Erik ten Hag looks like for Antony with Ruben Amorim decision to be made

Manchester United are venturing into the unknown once again by looking for a new manager part way into the season, and for Antony especially, this marks an uncertain time.

Erik ten Hag was the one who fought to have the 24-year-old brought over from his former side Ajax. There they shared two fruitful years together, the winger scored 22 goals and providing 20 assists in 79 outings, helping his team share in the spoils of two Eredivisie titles and one Dutch Cup.

And so, Man United parted with £85.5m to make this dream turn into reality. Only the dream quickly became a nightmare for all concerned, as the weight of such a transfer fee paired with the demands of English football brought Antony crashing down.

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At Old Trafford for the same period as Ten Hag, the winger has made 87 appearances in red - eight more than with his previous side. But here his goal tally is reduced to 12, and his assists total a mere five.

It just hasn't been good enough for a Man United player, and ultimately is one major factor in the deteriorating confidence in Ten Hag over an extended period of time, before the head coach was eventually cut loose. Without any history of working under another manager in European football, what is to become of Antony?

The first option is to sell. It might not be a simple option, as for that, a buyer has to be found, but it would appear to be the simplest of the two options.

The Sun have reported during the ongoing managerial hunt that no matter who enters the dugout at Old Trafford this week, the club's decision-makers are going to cash in this January. Whether this plan is true remains to be seen, but it would mean taking a sizeable loss compared with the fee that was sent Ajax's way in 2022.

That would lead the second option, to allow Ruben Amorim - who is on course to take over the reins at United - to work with the Brazilian. Perhaps a new voice is what is needed, as it is not uncommon for players to falter under one coach then thrive under another - just look at what happened with Marcus Rashford when Ole Gunnar Solksjaer first took over, and the same could be said about Ten Hag.

The challenge will be make sure Antony maintains his levels though, if he were to reach a high point.

What bodes well for the player in this regard is that he matches the profile of winger that Amorim would seek to use in his 3-4-3 system - a left-footer on the right flank. The 39-year-old turned Tottenham reject Marcus Edwards into one of the most confident wingers in Europe in his Sporting CP side, and could do the same with Antony at Man United.

Amorim may cast his mind back to September 2021, when Ten Hag's Ajax demolished his team in front of an empty stadium in the Champions League. That day the Antony that Man United thought they were signing was on display, grabbing two assists whilst a deflected shot that rebounded off the woodwork set up another goal.

A long time has passed since then, but Amorim will know it's the best coaches that can mould the least confident of players into important tools. He may wish to try, and that would hopefully pay off. If not, there is the first option to fall back on.