Former Manchester United strikers’ coach Benni McCarthy has explained why Erik ten Hag favoured Brazilian winger Antony over Ivorian Amad Diallo during his time at the club.
Diallo struggled for consistent playing time under the Dutch manager but has since flourished under current Man U manager, Ruben Amorim. For context, Antony scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 92 appearances for the club since joining the Red Devils.
In contrast, Diallo has contributed eight goals and 10 assists in 45 appearances. He has been particularly impressive recently, with five goals and eight assists in 26 matches. Notably, two of his goals and one assist came under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, while he has scored two goals and provided six assists under Amorim across all competitions.
BENNY MCCARTHY’S EXPLANATION OF AMAD DIALLO’S STRUGGLES UNDER TEN HAG
During his appearance on ‘Podcast and Chill with MacG,’ Bafana Bafana‘s all-time top scorer highlighted why Antony was Ten Hag’s preferred choice. He believes the former Ajax manager naturally prioritised supporting the player he had personally brought to the club.
“Tactically, when we set up, the manager felt that Antony was the best, better player for the job that he wanted because he knew Antony from Ajax. He was his player, so he invested in him, and the club supported him. So,of course, he had to support the player that he bought…
“So, I think that’s why he persisted in playing Antony. It’s because he knew the capabilities when Antony was at his best. And then you had Garnacho who was also playing well, scoring goals.
“[Marcus] Rashford, on any given day, could demolish anyone. And then you’ve got [Rasmus] Hojlund, you spend £70 million on bringing him in, so he has to play.
“So someone’s gotta … and unfortunately for Amad Diallo …the manager goes with the player he thinks he’s probably more capable for, for those type of games tactically, defensively and attacking.”
McCarthy further elaborated on Diallo’s development. He revealed that they had a strong rapport, given their shared African heritage.
“I dealt quite a lot with, and because obviously, we’re both Africans, he would always ask me for anything and advice and wanna work on this… Amad wanted to do finishing all the time … He’s so persistent until he gets one up on you. We were working on finishing all the time and you could see it’s just a matter of time.”
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