Manchester United are dealt a severe blow ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester City after Brazilian star winger Antony suffers a serious injury in their match against Chelsea.
Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag brought in Antony from his former team, AFC Ajax, for a gigantic £81 million. The 23-year-old left-footed winger hasn’t quite lived up to the hype yet, as he has only found the back of the net eight times in total for United.
And now, as it seems, Antony will be unavailable for the upcoming FA Cup final against Premier League winners Manchester City, scheduled to take place on June 3.
How Antony injured himself
Erik Ten Hag was forced to make a change in the 24th in-game minute in their 4-1 triumph over Chelsea on Friday after Antony was lying on the ground following a collision with the 23-year-old Chelsea defender Trevor Chalobah. The Brazilian was carried off the pitch on a stretcher, and Marcus Rashford came in to replace him.
The 23-year-old was sidelined for the final eight games of Ajax’s 2021-22 season due to an ankle injury he sustained in March 2022 during World Cup qualifying for Brazil. It appears that his previous injury flared up again, which kept out of action for nearly two months at the end of the previous season.
Erik Ten Hag provides Manchester United injury update
It was not just Antony who succumbed to injury. Defender Luke Shaw also did not return to the pitch post-half-time, with Tyrell Malacia coming on for him. The 27-year-old England international sustained a “slight back injury,” according to Sky Sports.
United boss Erik Ten Hag is usually tight-lipped in terms of disclosing injuries. However, this time, he opened up during the post-match conference.
“We have to wait. With Antony, it looks serious, but we don’t know what it is,” he stated when speaking to club media. “With Shaw, we have to wait a bit as well. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
His sudden comments on the injury situation make the situation worrisome. There are rising concerns that Antony might not be available for the FA Cup final at all.
United will travel to Wembley to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final next weekend, hoping to complete their own domestic cup double.
