Ant still has a point to prove to Ten Hag

UNITED have a busy weekend, with two friendlies, starting with a visit of Lens to Old Trafford today followed by a trip to Dublin tomorrow to take on Athletic Bilbao.

- STEVEN RAILSTON

Here we look at the major talking points ahead of the final pre-season action for Erik ten Hag's men...

ANTONY'S POINT TO PROVE

ANTONY scored against Arsenal, City and Everton in his first three matches for United and you wouldn't have blamed him for thinking the Premier League wasn't as difficult as he'd been led to believe.

But as the months passed, the goals dried up and he ended the campaign with eight goals and three assists, which wasn't a spectacular return for a winger signed in a deal worth £86m.

The jury remains out on Antony. The 23-year-old has rightly been given the benefit of the doubt in his first year in England, but he must make a greater impact consistently in the new season.

The Brazilian, whose preference to cut inside is hardly a secret, has a tendency to frustrate supporters, although even his biggest sceptics can't deny he possesses talent, which enables him to occasionally produce a moment of magic.

The problem is those moments were few and far between and more is expected of him. The attacking unit underperformed last term and Antony should now be hoping to exceed the 15-goal mark, while creating more for his team-mates.