da doce： The troubling accusations against the Brazilian have rocked Erik ten Hag's side but the manager has a number of options in the winger's absence

da pinnacle： After another bad start to the Premier League season compounded by an injury crisis and damage to the club's image following their handling of the Mason Greenwood situation, the last thing Manchester United needed was fresh allegations of assault against Antony.

The latest accusations against the Brazilian winger, which he denies, have shocked the football world and United fans, leading to yet more criticism of how the club deals with serious allegations against their players.

The saga has also impacted the team directly as United have decided to give Antony a leave of absence while he deals with the allegations, leaving Erik ten Hag without a player who he pushed the club to sign for £85 million ($106m) little more than a year ago.

Even though Antony had not scored or provided an assist this season, he is highly valued by Ten Hag due to his defensive work and he had started all four of United's Premier League games. However, his absence presents a big opportunity to other members of Ten Hag's squad, who now have a chance to prove their worth and seize the vacant position in the starting XI.

GOAL assesses the manager's options ahead of a crucial run of matches, with United hosting Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday before kicking off their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich on Wednesday…

GettyPush Bruno Fernandes out to the right again

The most obvious option available to Ten Hag – and arguably the most likely outcome – is to do what he has done on the previous occasions when Antony has been absent: play Bruno Fernandes on the right. This is what the Dutchman did in the FA Cup final against Manchester City (United lost 2-1) and the league matches against City, Aston Villa and Leicester last season, all of which United ended up winning.

The only problem is that this risks pushing Fernandes, arguably United's most important player, too far away from the action and limiting how much he can influence the team's play. It also does not play to the captain's strengths as he lacks the pace of most wide players and is better suited to playing as a No.10 or a No.8.

Although Fernandes has proved he is willing to play in any role where he is needed, and is more than happy to sacrifice his creativity to help the team, the last thing the coach will want to do is clip the wings of his talisman, who dragged United to victory in their last home outing against Nottingham Forest while playing as a No.10.

Fernandes also produced a dominant performance for Portugal against Luxembourg in the No.8 role on the right of a three-man midfield, scoring once and contributing three assists in the 9-0 drubbing.

The arrival of Sofyan Amrabat should mean the team are less exposed in midfield if Fernandes is called upon to immediately fill Antony's position, but it is clear this is not a long-term solution to what could well be a long-term problem.

Advertisement(C)Getty imagesGive Jadon Sancho a second chance

The report that shined more light on the allegations against Antony appeared less than 24 hours after Sancho had opened up a rift with Ten Hag after the Arsenal game and gave United yet another headache.

Sancho's days at the club appeared numbered after he accused Ten Hag of making him a scapegoat in an unwise social media post, and he came close to joining Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq just before the Saudi Pro League's transfer window shut. However, Antony's leave of absence comes at the perfect time for Sancho, opening up a spot in his position in the starting XI and giving him the chance to put his dispute with Ten Hag behind him.

Sancho has not come close to living up to his £74m ($92m) transfer fee since switching from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 but he has had his moments. If he can knuckle down and work hard, putting his history of poor time-keeping behind him, then he can play his way back into the side.

The big question is whether Ten Hag can forgive the winger for embarrassing him by speaking back to him in a public forum. The Dutchman is famously ruthless with players who question his authority or underperform and Sancho has been guilty on both counts.

But, compared to the alleged crimes Antony is being accused of, Sancho's misdemeanours can surely be put to one side. And the winger has taken the first step towards reconciliation by deleting the offending social media post. Even though Ten Hag is right to be furious with the 23-year-old after being patient and sensitive with him last season, he cannot afford to completely discard a player of his talent. Especially after losing Antony.

Getty ImagesStart Alejandro Garnacho again

Replacing Antony with Garnacho would appeal to many fans as the Argentine has captured supporters' imagination ever since leading United's under-18 side to the FA Youth Cup in 2022, then having a stunning breakthrough last season.

Indeed, from only a handful of starts and substitutes' appearances, he managed to get five goals and five assists in all competitions, compared to Antony's eight goals and three assists despite starting practically every match.

The problem is that Garnacho is far more effective off the bench than when starting. Of his 10 goal contributions, eight of them came in matches when he was a substitute. See how he put the ball in the net against Arsenal in United's last outing – the goal was eventually ruled out for offside – less than four minutes after coming on.

Contrast that with his starts against Wolves and Tottenham, in which he mustered only one shot on target and struggled to combine effectively with his team-mates. He was also a liability defensively, failing to give Luke Shaw the support he needed down the left wing and not helping Casemiro in the middle either.

There is also the fact that Garnacho usually plays off the left wing rather than the right, which Antony has vacated. However, given that Marcus Rashford will likely be occupying that role for many years to come, this could be a great opportunity for the teenager to lock down a starting berth in the team.

Getty ImagesShow faith in Facundo Pellistri

The Uruguayan returned from a loan spell in August 2022 and got a smattering of appearances last season amounting to 214 minutes, nearly all of which were as a substitute.

It was expected that he would go out on loan again in search of more first-team action but it was eventually decided he should remain to give Ten Hag another option in attack. Indeed, the Dutchman will be hoping it's another long season full of cup opportunities after reaching the finals of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last term, while United also made the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Ten Hag praised Pellistri's attitude in training last season and took him on the pre-season tour of the USA, also bringing him off the bench late in the games against Wolves and Tottenham. The 21-year-old was also included in the squad against Arsenal, unlike Sancho.

Pellistri is quick and a confident dribbler but, rather like Garnacho, seems more effective as an impact substitute and is too inexperienced to fill Antony's boots and become a regular starter just now. But the fact Ten Hag decided to keep hold of him despite sending the talented Alvaro Fernandez out on loan to Granada shows that he believes in the player and Antony's off-field problems mean he should get far more opportunities this season, particularly in cup competitions.