Erik ten Hag desperate for Man Utd to sign one of his former players to help Antony

Erik ten Hag desperate for Man Utd to sign one of his former players to help Antony

Man Utd could be making a new signing out of nowhere.

Erik ten Hag will attempt to sign one of his former players with the intention of ‘helping to unlock’ Antony, according to a new report.

United paid an initial fee of £85 million to sign Antony from Ajax in the summer of 2022.

It was the highest fee that the club have paid for a player since Ten Hag’s arrival, but despite three superbly-taken goals within a matter of weeks of arriving at Old Trafford, his two seasons in Manchester haven’t gone to plan.

The 24-year-old scored just one league goal and provided one assist in 29 Premier League appearances last season.

But Ten Hag reportedly has no plans to sell him at present – and instead wants to bring in one of his former Ajax players to support him down the right flank.

The player in question is right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who currently plays for Bayern Munich.

The Morocco international was Bayern’s first-choice right-back last season when available, but only played in 19 of his side’s 34 Bundesliga matches due to injury and international duty.

According to The Times, the 26-year-old is available for transfer for between £17-21 million, although United need to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka before a deal can be struck.

It is claimed that Ten Hag believes Mazraoui could ‘help to unlock the potential of Antony’, with both players playing on the same side of the pitch.

Noussair Mazraoui (centre) and Antony (right) celebrate after Ajax win the Eredivisie title -
Getty

The defender scored five goals and provided two assists during his final season at Ajax under Ten Hag – underlining his attacking abilities.

United are already considering signing a left-back to compete with Luke Shaw.

The England star is fit again after a hamstring problem ruled him out of the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, with the 29-year-old starting the Euro 2024 final.

But Tyrell Malacia is still yet to return to action, while Diogo Dalot – who can also fill in the position – appears likely to be United’s starting right-back if no signings are eventually made.