08 May 2024 , 00:00
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Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes thought Antony may have been criticising manager Erik ten Hag in his post-match chat with Mason Mount on Monday night.
United winger Antony was seen covering his mouth as he spoke to team-mate Mount moments after the 4-0 defeat against Crystal Palace. He also appeared to be holding up three fingers, with some speculating about the meaning of the gesture.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana was also privy to the conversation, and Scholes - appearing on Optus Sport as a pundit - had his say on the matter. He admitted he was only speculating, with the conversation not immediately audible, but wondered allowed whether the gesture was an allusion to the manager's tactics.
Ten Hag came in for criticism for his team's performance, with Palace scoring four without reply. It was United's heaviest defeat of the season, and there's now every chance they miss out on Europe.
"He is saying something to Mason Mount he is obviously not happy with," Scholes said. "Mason Mount seems the quietest out of the three of them. What's that going to do, I didn't see any of them communicating on the football pitch. That doesn't look good. I don't think that's good for the manager.
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"People are obviously talking and saying things he [Antony] doesn't agree with. When he's putting those three fingers up, maybe he's saying we should be having three in midfield, why don't we have three there?
"I don't know, we have no idea because we can't lip read. But there is obviously a problem there and they obviously disagree with something the manager is doing."
How can Manchester United turn things around ahead of their next game? Have your say in the comments section
Antony's actions prompted plenty of speculation (Sky Sports)Scholes wasn't the only ex-player to ask questions of Ten Hag after the hammering. Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher called United "one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League".
"That is a fact. That is not an opinion," he continued. "That is a fact. The numbers tell you that when you see them bottom of the league defensively... I struggled to see how United would win tonight but I thought Palace would win one or two nil.
"No Manchester United team should be getting beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace. Manchester United's Under-23 team, if they are at Manchester United, have come through their academy, have been coached and taught to play, I would still not expect them to lose 4-0. I have never been a manager or a coach but I have been a player and I have been coached by top coaches and some of the things that I see are just wrong."
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