Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that the club only signed Antony because Jadon Sancho refused to play as a right winger. The Red Devils spent £73 million on Sancho in July 2021 before later paying £85 million to bring Antony from Ajax in August 2022.
Sancho’s Position Refusal and Antony’s Arrival
As reported by Football365 via a wide-ranging interview in The Athletic, Ten Hag explained that the acquisition of the Brazilian winger was prompted by an unexpected issue with Sancho. The Dutch coach stated that a problem arose when Sancho stated he did not want to play on the right side, which Ten Hag found very weird given that the English winger had frequently played in that position and preferred operating on the left.
Player Selection and Managing Garnacho
Ten Hag insisted that a player’s background did not influence his selection, stating that he evaluates what is required for the game based on performance and profiles rather than emotion or previous working relationships. Discussing another young player, Alejandro Garnacho, Ten Hag described him as a character requiring careful management, trust, and love, while noting his exceptional ability to run at high speed throughout the entire match.
The former manager added that Garnacho sometimes needed mental focus, discipline, and reminders to track back during defensive transitions, alongside balancing occasional selfishness with his attacking capabilities in dribbling and finishing.
Scouting Criteria and the Role of Data
Detailing the seven points he uses to judge transfer targets for recruitment teams, Ten Hag listed technical ability as the most important, followed by game intelligence and cognition, athleticism, lifestyle, determination, and resilience and robustness to play every third day, alongside an offensive mindset. He noted that upon arriving at Old Trafford, the squad lacked the scoring ability required for the top four, emphasizing that winning requires a specific number of goals based on logical targets.
Ten Hag concluded by highlighting the importance of data and artificial intelligence in modern football, noting that while Manchester United were just beginning to implement data systems when he arrived, such tools had been established at Ajax for a long time.
