Here are your Manchester Untied headlines for the evening of Friday, June 2, 2023.
Antony injury update ahead of FA Cup final
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag claims Antony is unlikely to be fit for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Antony was carried off on a stretcher in the first half of United's 4-1 Premier League win over Chelsea last Thursday with an ankle injury but Ten Hag issued an upbeat update on the Brazilian's recovery on Sunday.
Casemiro on help from Fernandes and his faith in John Murtough
As the dust settled on another thumping for Manchester United away at City, in the sprawling Etihad press room Erik ten Hag unconvincingly explained why he did not maximise a Portuguese-speaking five-times Champions League winner out of "big respect for his career".
Ten Hag was speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo but might as well have referred to Casemiro. The Brazilian had not yet lined up in the Premier League and the ramifications of his slow integration crystallised at the Etihad. United were 4-0 down at the interval and trailed 6-1 going into the final 10 minutes.
Casemiro emerged on the hour to plug the gaps but City scored two more. "They were better than us in that game," Casemiro concedes. "They deserved to beat us but when you talk about a 6-3 in the context of a league, it's still three more points that you get."
United are being well run in spite of the Glazers ahead of the transfer window
It remains unclear if those plaques bearing the words 'The Glazer Family' on a row of leather-padded seats in the Old Trafford directors' box will be unscrewed before next season.
Whether United's next owner is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani - or maybe the Glazers' occupation continues - the football figures at the club are not dithering as much as the incumbent landlords.
United supporters should have been encouraged by Erik ten Hag's assurance targets were "keen" on joining the club three weeks ago. The advantage of securing Champions League qualification 20 days before the transfer window officially opens is United's brochure is complete.
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