Antony assault allegations bring more off-field headaches to Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and the club

When Erik ten Hag took the reins at Manchester United in 2022, he would have envisioned a tough and emotionally draining job awaiting him. He was the man touted to take the Red Devils back to competing for and winning the biggest trophies, something not done since Sir Alex Ferguson departed the club in 2013.

Whilst Erik ten Hag would have known it was going to be a massive task to get matters right on the pitch and build a successful team, the Dutchman would not have expected to encounter the many off-field issues he has had to come across.

The latest drama involves one of the club's biggest-ever signings, Antony, who is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The Brazilian winger, who followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax to Manchester United last summer in a £84 million move, has been accused of physical assault by his former girlfriend, and investigations are ongoing in Sao Paulo and Greater Manchester.

The latest Antony assault allegations have seen the Manchester United winger removed from Brazil's latest squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru this month. It will now remain to be seen how Manchester United deals with the situation and whether or not the winger is going to be involved with the team after the September international break.

Celebrity Manchester United fan, Rachel Riley, responded on social media to the reports surrounding Antony by claiming that domestic abuse experts should be involved at the club to handle the matter.

Riley also questioned whether there is any awareness of what players may be doing or have done, asking: "Is anyone doing any due diligence on these players?"

Eyes will be on Manchester United to witness exactly how the club chooses to handle this matter with Antony. These assault allegations towards the Brazilian come after Manchester United chose to not bring Mason Greenwood back into its plans, with the striker having assault and rape charges against him dropped.

The Greenwood debacle involved rumours in recent months of a possible return to the Manchester United side, and that led to fierce criticism aimed towards the club, with many opposing a way back into the team for the striker. Manchester United have since loaned Greenwood out to La Liga side, Getafe.

Before the club concluded its internal investigation into the Greenwood matter, Erik ten Hag would have been in the dark over whether he was supposed to include the striker in his future plans or not, and that could have impacted transfer plans. Now with the Antony assault allegations, Erik ten Hag may be forced into a scenario again where serious off-field issues leave him in limbo over who he can and cannot select to play.

Also causing off-field issues for the Red Devils at the moment is the club's English winger Jadon Sancho, who was left out of the matchday squad in Manchester United's 3-1 defeat away to Arsenal on the weekend. Erik ten Hag stated that Sancho was left out of the game due to his performance in training not being at the level required.

Sancho responded immediately to Ten Hag's comments saying that what his manager said about his training levels was incorrect. The player also hit out at those who have criticised him unfairly and hinted at other issues at hand.

Last season saw Cristiano Ronaldo end his second spell at Manchester United mid-season, after falling out with ten Hag, with the footballing legend criticising the manager and the club in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan. This was after Ronaldo wanted to depart in the summer prior to last season starting and questions were constantly put to Erik ten Hag over Ronaldo's future at the club.

Another player whom Erik ten Hag has constantly been quizzed about is former captain and current defender Harry Maguire. After Erik ten Hag dropped Maguire in his first few games as manager last season due to subpar performances, there were frequent questions asked to him about Maguire's place at the club.

Now that the captaincy has been removed from Maguire and passed onto midfielder Bruno Fernandes, the matter is not quite as frustrating for Erik ten Hag. However, Maguire has still been in the headlines due to Manchester United's willingness to sell him in the recently shut summer transfer window.

In the end, no move materialised, with a potential switch to West Ham United breaking down, and Maguire is now stuck at Manchester United with him unlikely to regain a starting place. It leaves Erik ten Hag having to keep a player he was willing to sell and that could create tension at the club.

The major issue still hanging over the club is the long-running potential sale from the current owners, the Glazer family. Ten Hag would have expected new owners to be in by the new season starting, but nothing appears even remotely close to being finalised on a potential sale.

Having uncertain leadership at the club leaves Erik ten Hag in the dark about where Manchester United could be heading and that is sure to affect his plans to rebuild the club back to winning ways.

Growing amounts of off-field issues can derail any club, especially one the size and stature of Manchester United, so Erik ten Hag will be eager for all off-issues to be dealt with properly at the club so he can finally put all his attention to footballing matters.