Manchester United and Fenerbahce battled to a 1-1 draw in their Europa League encounter in Türkiye.
The Red Devils took the lead in the 15th minutecourtesy of Christian Eriksen. Youssef En-Nesyri put Fenerbahce back on level terms four minutes into the second half.
Erik ten Hag brought on Antony in the 73rd minute for Marcus Rashford as United searched for a winner.
It was a surprising decision since Amad Diallo remained on the bench.
The United manager revealed the reason for his choice of substitution after the match.
He said (via The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell): “Amad, he’s fine. But I also have to reward Antony’s performance in training, he is a threat almost in every training, so I wanted at that moment to bring him on, to decide the match.
The head coach further showed compassion towards the Brazilian while he was on a stretcher due to an injury.
He said (via ManUtd.com): “It’s really bad luck for him. I feel real compassion for him as he worked so hard in training.
“His performances in training are so good that he deserved to come on. When you have to leave so quickly, it’s really sad to see.
“I hope it’s not too serious, we have to wait 24 hours for the evaluation.”
Amad Diallo will be frustrated after being left out again
With Bruno Fernandes suspended from this clash, many expected Ten Hag to start Diallo at the 10th position.
The 22-year-old played as a central striker before moving to right winger in his debut at Atalanta.
To everyone’s surprise, the United head coach selected Noussair Mazraoui to replace Fernandes.
United were looking for a goal to record their first European victory of this campaign.
It was shocking to see Antony enter in front of Diallo. The Brazilian international did not stay on the field for long as he was seriously injured.
He was evacuated on a stretcher which forced Ten Hag to introduce Diallo in the 89th minute.
Antony played just four accurate passes during his 16-minute cameo and lost both of his ground duels. He failed to shoot or create a big chance for United.
He has been a failure since his big move from Ajax and another injury won’t help his cause.
Diallo looked furious when he arrived when René Merlu gave him instructions.
Let’s hope the fan favorite keeps his head on straight and waits for his chance to reclaim his starting spot.
Statistics from sofascore.com
The position Shocking decision: Erik Ten Hag reveals why he chose flop Man Utd ahead of fan favorite in Fenerbahce draw first appeared on Man Utd News.
